Dancing with the Devil
by RockQueen98
Summary: Pip Pirrup wished for a life like everyone else had. To be happy, to be carefree, to have someone to love. Every night he would pray, pray for the emptiness in his life to be filled. There was one person listening to all of these prayers, but it was not somebody who he would expect.
1. Chapter 1

Welcome to my new story!

I know my last two ones were discontinued, and you probably have lost trust in me, but don't worry; I have a lot of motivation to continue this one. I seriously enjoyed writing this and I can't wait to get further into the story.

Please remember while you are reading this that I am British, so if I use any non-American words for someone who isn't Pip I do apologise. Also, Pip is different to how he is in the Cartoon, but in this, he and the others are in the eleventh grade. There is something I researched on! We don't have 'grades' in UK, we have years. Like, I'm in year eleven, which is people aged from 15-16.

That was a completely pointless fact. Let's get on with the chapter, shall we?

* * *

Pip Pirrup walked down the school corridor alone, with a couple of his schoolbooks hugged to his chest. His eyes were fixed on the ground below. He had had learnt by now not to look at any other student passing by – it would just cause trouble, somehow.

_Just keep walking, Phillip… Don't stop walking…_

One way or another, something would stop him, or more likely, _someone. _He let out a cry as a large figure purposely shoved past him hard, and the books he had been carrying fell onto the floor. He froze; should he wait until they have gone away, or should he simply take a chance and pick up his books?

He didn't have time to decide for himself.

"Watch where you're going, Frenchy!" Eric Cartman laughed. Kenny McCormick didn't notice - he was distracted by a girl who was flirting with him - and Kyle Broflovski and Stan Marsh simply rolled their eyes, and carried on walking. Their past attempts at shutting Cartman up only led to an embarrassingly loud argument, mainly between Kyle and Cartman. They seemed to have given up on stopping him.

"I am not French, I am British," Pip sighed. The tiresome and old joke no longer bothered him too much. He had to just hope that Cartman wouldn't say much else.

Cartman laughed again, his hands clutching his stomach.

"Oh – my – God –" he panted. "Your voice never gets old!"

Pip didn't say anything. He had tried to speak in an American accent like everybody else, but to him, he sounded ridiculous and you could clearly hear the British (or, apparently to everyone else, _French) _accent in his voice. Even so, his old 'friends' from England had stopping keeping in contact after Pip became 'one of those typical American idiots'. His old friends disliked him for trying to fit in with the Americans. His new classmates disliked him for being British, or as they often said, _French._ Could he ever be accepted?

"_I am not French, I am British!" _Cartman mimicked in a silly voice which sounded nothing like Pip's did. All Cartman was doing was irritate Pip slightly. It seemed as though Cartman was having a bit of a rest from his bullying today. At least Pip thought so, anyway. He had thought that Cartman was finished, and so he bent down to pick up the couple of books he had dropped. As he did so, Cartman laughed as he pushed Pip. The British boy didn't see it coming, and so lost his balance and his head slammed on the floor, and his teeth sunk into his lips.. He looked up at Cartman, while a little trail of blood trickled down his chin.

"Just get out of here, Pip, no one even cares about you. Just kill yourself," Cartman said coldly, and then walked away. Pip sighed deeply, picked up his books, and stood up. He glanced around at the people stood in the corridor, all of whom were facing him. He began to feel tears of embarrassment filling in his eyes. Not wanting them to fall in front of all of these people, he quickly walked to one of the boys' bathrooms. He locked himself inside one of the cubicles, and didn't come out until the school bell rang.

It was sure going to be yet another long day…

* * *

"Hey mum… Mom, I mean," said Pip quietly as he closed the front door to his house.

"Hello, Phillip," replied his adoptive mother. "How was school?"

"Um… Okay. I am just going to go and start on my homework, I have such a large amount of it…" said Pip, though his mother grabbed softly onto his arm and turned him around.

"Phillip, how have you ended up with that cut on your lip?" she asked.

"It was just an accident, mother."

"Another accident?"

"_Yes, _mother. Honestly, I am fine. Can I please go and do my homework?"

She sighed, and let go of his arm without another word. He climbed up the stairs, pushed open the door to his bedroom, and collapsed onto his bed. He stayed in that very spot until his mother called him down for dinner. Wiping the tears away from his eyes, he slid off the bed to make his way to join his parents.

"Have you managed to do much of your homework, Pip?" his mother asked once he had sat down. He shook his head.

"No, not a lot. I could not really concentrate," he replied. His mother and father exchanged a couple of looks, both looking a little uncomfortable. "What is it?"

"Phillip…" his mother started. "… We are just a little bit worried about school."

"Why are you?" Pip questioned. "I work hard and I am getting the grades-"

"No, I don't mean it like that," his mother interrupted.

"She means that… Well, we are a bit worried about if you aren't exactly enjoying it there," his father said awkwardly.

"Oh?"

"You don't really seem to have many friends, Phillip..." his mother said, looking very guilty.

"And we are concerned about how often you are having these… 'Accidents', when you are in school," his father added.

"What are you trying to say?"

"Look, Phillip, we spoke with the school counsellor…"

"You did _what?" _Pip cried.

"We just care for you, Phillip!" his father exclaimed.

"Look, I am _fine. _There is no need to worry about me."

"Phillip, you've changed. You're not the bubbly and carefree child that we adopted anymore," his mother whispered, her eyes beginning to brim with tears. Her words stung Pip's heart.

"I grew up," he said. "And I see no reason for me to be 'bubbly' and 'carefree' anymore."

"Phillip…" his father sighed, though he couldn't find any more words to say.

They ate the rest of their dinner silently, and after he was done, Pip went straight back to his bedroom. He settled himself back into the same position on his bed as before. He felt like he needed to cry again, yet no tears came. He just felt drained.

Pip didn't know how long he had been lying there for before there was a knock on his door.

"Phillip? Can I come in?" his mother's voice called through the door. Pip stayed silent. He heard her sigh, and a few seconds later, she was sitting awkwardly on the edge of the bed.

"Phillip, your father and I didn't mean to upset you… We just care about you, that's all," she said.

"I know."

"I understand that you weren't happy with us speaking to the school counsellor behind your back, Phillip, but it's for the best."

"I know."

"We just want you to be happy again."

"I know."

"Can you please sit up?" she asked quietly. Pip shrugged, but sat up beside her. She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him close. He did not resist.

"I love you, Phillip. Don't ever forget that," she whispered.

"I love you too," Pip replied. She smiled, and gently rose from the bed. She walked over to the door, her hand hovering over the light switch.

"Are you going to bed now?" she asked. Pip nodded, and she turned off the light before she left the room. Pip lay back down onto his bed, and he didn't know how many hours went by with him worrying about his own thoughts.

* * *

Pip found himself the next morning in the school counsellor's, Mr Mackey's, office. He was lucky enough to not get stopped by anyone on the way here, and so far, he was having an okay morning, especially compared to the rest he usually had to deal with.

"Good morning," said Mr Mackey. "Do you prefer to be called Pip or Phillip?"

"Pip will do," Pip replied. 'Pip' was a nickname first given to him in elementary school because nobody liked him. It stuck with him right up until high school, so people who didn't even know Pip would call him that. So Pip it is.

"Alright, I'll call you Pip, m'kay," said Mr Mackey. "So, I talked to your mom on the phone, m'kay, and she seems to be a little worried."

"What did she say?" asked Pip.

"She said that she keeps worrying about these 'accidents', as she calls them, you've been coming home from. She told me that you come home a lot from school with bruises or cuts, m'kay."

"Oh…"

"And she thinks it may not be by accident."

"How does she know it is not an accident?" Pip murmured. Mr Mackey sighed, and adjusted his tie before continuing.

"Look, Pip, she is just saying what these situations seems like. It's not to upset you or anything, m'kay. We just want to help you, and we need you to tell us what's happening. I know it's hard, m'kay, but you have to try," Mr Mackey persisted. Pip sighed, knowing that he wouldn't be able to go until he said something. He took a deep breath before speaking.

"They just all hate me," he said softly.

"Who do?"

"Everybody. I have no friends here. They either simply stay out of my way or they use me as a punching bag and something to shout insults at. I cannot go a day without _someone _saying something to me. I just want to try and do well, I really do, but it's just so _hard _when I am constantly being treated like this."

"Who are the ones who bully you?" Mr Mackey asked, looking a little sad over Pip's words.

"Eric Cartman, mainly. He's always bullied me but it's gotten worse in high school. Kyle, Stan and Kenny used to a bit as well, but they don't really bother anymore. Craig Tucker does sometimes, but that seems to be only when he's in a bad mood. Trent Boyett and his gang bully me sometimes, but I'm not the only victim of them. I get a few insults from people I don't know but out of these, Cartman is definitely the worst."

"M'kay… Well, Pip, I'm very sorry about everything that has happened to you. I wish you came to me a lot sooner so I could have got this all sorted for you, but at least I know and I can fix it for you. Just leave it to me, m'kay," said Mr Mackey.

"Thank you, Mr Mackey," said Pip quietly.

"You're welcome, Pip. Go on to your lesson now, m'kay? Here's a note for your teacher."

Pip nodded, took the note from the counsellor, and exited the room silently. Only to, however, bump into a figure outside the door.

"GAH! J-JESUS CHRIST!"

"I'm sorry, Tweek, I didn't mean to scare you," Pip said hurriedly.

"Ngh, it's fine man. I just – gah – was a bit surprised, th-that's all," Tweek said at an even faster pace than Pip. He could tell that Tweek was more than a 'bit surprised', but didn't say anything. Tweek had recently started trying to move on from his addiction to coffee and try to get help over his paranoia, but it didn't seem to be helping much at all. Perhaps having his parents give him coffee every day since he was a very small child played a large part in it.

"I'll see you later, Tweek, I have to go to lesson," said Pip. Tweek nodded, twitched slightly, and then entered Mr Mackey's office. Tweek was someone Pip felt highly sorry for, more than himself, definitely. At least, however, Tweek had Craig Tucker, Token Black and Clyde Donovan there for him. The four had been friends for a long time, since they were in elementary school. Tweek was closer to Craig the most out of them, ever since they both had a fight which, not surprisingly, was caused by Cartman, Stan, Kyle and Kenny. Somehow, they became good friends while they were in hospital together.

In fact, Pip considered Tweek as a small friend. They didn't talk a huge lot but when they did, it was always friendly.

Pip walked very slowly to his lesson. He had always tried to get to lessons on time because on the odd occasion he didn't, he had everybody stare at him, and sometimes start whispering. It wasn't just him it happened to, especially the staring, but he grew embarrassed very easily and he hated the few awkward seconds where he had to hand the note to the teacher which explained why he was late. Perhaps he could walk even slower so it would be changeover by the time he got to class. He checked the time – nope, the lesson wasn't even halfway through yet. Not to mention that he was already standing outside the door.

He took a deep breath, and entered the room. Luckily, it was his math class, which was actually one which he didn't mind being in, and his teacher was also very kind. She smiled at Pip and took the note from him.

"Ah, I see. Not to worry, Pip. We are just going over some questions on what we were doing last lesson," she said. Pip nodded and sat down in his usual seat. He didn't know why he was worried; he didn't really have any problems with this class. Kyle was in it, as was Stan, but they never really bothered him much anyway. Craig was in it, but he wouldn't say anything as he seemed to be in a calm mood. He was like that with anyone. Tweek sat between them, anyhow. Obviously, Tweek wasn't a problem. The rest of the class was taken up by people he had never really talked to, and by people who didn't bother him. The only other person he knew properly was Wendy Testaburger, though of course she wasn't going to trouble him. He didn't really have any worries with this class.

Pip acknowledged Craig with a small nod when he sat down in his seat.

"Were you with Mr Mackey?" Craig asked in his low monotone voice. Pip didn't have any clue how Craig would know this, but nodded anyway. "Did Tweek make it there okay?"

Ah, of course. That's why he asked.

"Um, yeah, he did," Pip replied. Craig nodded, and carried on with his work. Pip supposed that was Craig's way of saying 'thank you'.

Craig was extremely protective of Tweek, though it wasn't in a bad way. Even though it had been like that throughout the majority of high school, it was still a strange thing to get used to. Craig, even with Clyde and Token, never seemed to care as much as he did with Tweek. In fact, Tweek was the only person who Craig had never insulted or anything. It wasn't like he was horrible to Clyde and Token, but if either of them annoyed him he would become angry. But it wasn't like that with Tweek. Since their fight, Craig had never seemed angry at all with Tweek. They had become as close as Stan and Kyle were, and those two had been 'super best friends' since they were very young.

It was a very heart-warming thing for Pip to witness over the years. He was a very observant person, and he noticed how they grew closer and closer over the years. As he had never had as close friends as them before, however, he couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy. It wasn't envy, as he was happy for them. But he was definitely jealous.

He was jealous of a lot of people, actually. All of the happy friendships that went on around him, the laughing, the smiling. He used to be one of the bright and cheery kids when he was young, but not anymore. What did he have? Bullying, no close friends, more bullying…

The bullying was the worst. He had never told one of the teachers because he was scared of it becoming worse. 'Tell a teacher, they will help'. It certainly didn't help Pip. He knew Cartman was going to get _furious. _Cartman had been sucking up to the teachers, making out like he was the perfect student. He was smart, but he never made an effort in anything other than in History and German. So he made himself seem like some kind of sweet little angel, even though he was anything but. _Obviously _he was going to get furious when Pip had told Mr Mackey that Cartman had been bullying him for years. _Obviously _he was going to have to encounter Cartman's fury that very same day, though he didn't expect that fury to be so large. Why didn't he, when it was a known fact that Cartman had severe anger issues? Also when those severe anger issues were ones which he couldn't even control?

Pip made the mistake of not being careful while he was walking home. Cartman didn't bother him all day, so he thought that maybe Cartman was going to leave him alone for a while. He was stupid enough not to think that Cartman would get his revenge after school.

A huge cry escaped Pip when he was pushed to the ground all of a sudden.

"YOU FUCKING FRENCH SHIT!" Cartman screamed as he kicked at Pip as he lay on the floor.

"Cartman, stop!" Kyle cried as he and Stan tried their best to pull Cartman's large form away from Pip. Kenny was soon also trying pulling Cartman away. Kyle made sure Stan and Kenny had a firm hold on Cartman before reaching a hand out for Pip to grab on to. "I'm really, really sorry…"

Pip coughed, before taking Kyle's hand and allowed himself to be pulled up.

"Calm down, Cartman!" Stan cried, though Cartman was anything but calm.

He had managed to quickly pull away from Stan and Kenny's grip, strongly pushed Kyle away from Pip, and land a powerful punch right to the side of the British boy's head.

* * *

Sorry to the Cartman lovers out there. Please don't be too angry.

I hope you are enjoying the story so far! As I am suffering from medical problems and I am getting prepared for exams in May, I may have some difficulties writing. There may be times where I either post a smaller chapter or I post late. But, I will do my best to write this in my spare time. Writing fanfiction is a great way for me to relax in my spare time. I can't relax if I have story ideas I simply must write down!

(By the way, the cover was drawn by me, so I have no credit to give to anyone for it x3)

Reviews are highly appreciated, as I love to see people's thoughts on my writing. Thank you for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

So, this is a pretty fast update. Especially for me!

But I have already wrote 1,000 words of chapter three so I thought I might as well post this chapter. I have never enjoyed writing a fanfic so much! I just feel so motivated to write it and I feel like it is coming along well.

Thanks to those two guests who had reviewed, and also for the follows and the favourites. I appreciate it!

I hope you enjoy the chapter!

* * *

Pip opened his eyes. He frowned and felt the side of his face. Didn't Cartman hit him? It was one huge blow; surely he would feel some sort of pain…

He gasped when he took in his surroundings. Somehow, he was in his bedroom, but it didn't look like it at all. The shade of it all had deepened, and the colours were all a mixture of red and black. The shadows of fire danced with the flames against the walls, but somehow they were not burning. The cross that hung above his bed had been replaced by the unmistakeable Satanic cross. What on Earth was happening? _Was _he even still on Earth?

His eyes scanned the room again, and he gasped once again when some sort of desk seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. Two gothic style chairs were placed either side of it. They _definitely_ weren't there a minute ago. He was so confused.

That was not the last of it, either.

"My, my… You sure look baffled."

Pip spun round wildly, trying to find where that low voice had come from.

"W-Who said that?" he called out, panicked.

"Relax, honestly. I'm not going to hurt you," said the voice.

"Where are you?" Pip asked, looking behind him. That was when he noticed there was no longer a door in his room.

"I'm right here."

Pip turned around, and sure enough, there was now a figure sitting on one of the chairs, facing him. He was covered in shadows, however, and Pip could not see what he looked like.

"Who are you?" Pip asked.

"All in good time. Why don't you sit down?" the man suggested, gesturing to the seat opposite him. Pip stayed frozen to the spot. "What's the matter?"

"I-I…" Pip didn't know what to say. He just wanted answers, to know where he was, to know what was happening. But he didn't trust this man one single bit.

"Come on, what are you afraid of?" the man said, and even though Pip couldn't see his face, he knew he was smiling. "I don't bite."

Pip hesitated, before he shakily put one foot in front of the other. Did he really have a choice? He kept his eyes fixed to the ground as he sat down. After a few moments, he finally raised his head to look at the man in front of him. He was shocked to find that he could now see the man clearly, though he was speechless and made no noise.

The man looked more like a teenager, one of around the age of eighteen or nineteen. He had surprisingly pale skin, as if he had never once been in the sun. He had very defined cheek bones, and his lips were almost as pale as his skin was. The ring pierced there was coloured black. He was wearing a simple black shirt, and equally black trousers, with chains going round his hips, and also black boots. The darkness of the clothing contrasted incredibly with his white skin, as did the raven hair on his head, which was layered and went down to his neck in different lengths. He had several black piercings in both ears. The most shocking feature about him, however, was his eyes. The pupils were slightly smaller than they would be on an average person, and the colour around them was a bright crimson. They were outlined with thick black eyeliner which made them stand out even more.

Pip couldn't look away from them. They sent a chill down his spine, and yet, he couldn't help but stare. They were unlike Pip had ever seen before.

"That's funny," the man said, startling Pip out of his thoughts. He was staring straight back into Pip's eyes. "They always say never to look me in the eye, and yet here you are, staring into them like they hold the key to every secret the world has kept hidden."

Pip blushed and managed to pull his eyes away. He suddenly felt very embarrassed. This man, in his own, very unique way, was extremely attractive, and there was Pip with his naturally flushed cheeks reddening even further. He felt rather self-conscious.

When he dared to look back, the man was still staring at him.

"I suppose you have a few questions?" he asked.

"Um… Am I dead? Am I in Hell or something?" Pip asked timidly, and immediately cursed inwardly for sounding so stupid. To his surprise, however, the man took his question seriously.

"No, you're not dead," he replied. Pip relaxed a little. So he wasn't dead.

"Then how…" his words trailed off as he looked around the transformed room.

"This room? Oh, this isn't real."

Pip's head tilted slightly in confusion.

"Not real? So you're not real either?"

"Oh no, I didn't say that. I'm real, as real as you'll be getting. But this room is merely an illusion. Or perhaps a better word is dream. That is more to the point," said the man. Pip looked once more around the room before speaking.

"A dream? So this is a dream?" he questioned. The man nodded.

"Yes, this is simply a dream."

"But then how are you real? And I don't even remember falling asleep…"

"I can assure you, I am real. And I also know that you remember."

Pip thought for a moment, before the answer was obvious to him.

"Oh, did that punch knock me unconscious?"

"Naturally, it did. The boy who punched you sure was in a lot of rage. He walked away as soon as he hit you, and the three other boys took you to the hospital."

"The hospital? I'm in the hospital right now?" Pip gasped.

"Don't worry, Pip, nothing serious has happened to you. Perhaps a concussion, but nothing else, apart from maybe a lost tooth. I can imagine you'll be waking up, soon. That means our time together is beginning to run short."

Pip sighed in relief to hear that nothing incredibly bad had happened to him because of Cartman's punch. But then it came to him…

"How do you know my name?" he cried.

"I just know these things, Pip."

"You can't just know these things! Have you been stalking me?"

"I wouldn't call it 'stalking'."

Pip looked at him in pure shock.

"So you _have _been stalking me?"

"Like I said, I wouldn't call it 'stalking'."

"Then what is it?"

"Not stalking."

It was then that Pip began to hear voices, which were definitely not coming from the room he was in. It seemed to be coming from somewhere further than that, and apparently, the man could hear them too.

"It seems as though our time together has gone now, Pip. Until next time."

* * *

Pip's eyes fluttered open, though he quickly shut them from the brightness of the room he was in. The walls were startlingly light compared to the strange dream he just had. He slowly opened them again, this time prepared. He blinked when he saw his mother and father sitting by his bed.

"Oh, Pip, you're awake!" she cried, and jumped out of her seat and hugged him tightly.

"Relax, I'm fine," Pip laughed. He looked at a clock hanging on one of the walls, which showed him he must have only been unconscious for a little while.

"Have you got a headache? Do you feel dizzy at all? Or maybe sick?" his mom fretted, placing the back of her hand against his forehead. "Oh darling, that is one nasty bruise…"

"Mother, I'm fine. My jaw hurts a bit and I have a slight headache, but that's it," said Pip.

"There's no need to worry," said a nurse, who had just entered the room. "Even though, from what those other boys told us, it was a strong punch, Pip wasn't very injured. It looks like he is pretty tough."

"Will he be alright to come home?" asked Pip's father. The nurse nodded.

"Of course he is, there is no reason for him to stay here," she said.

"Thank you for your help," said his mother.

"It's no problem at all. Goodbye, now. Take it easy Pip, alright?" the nurse smiled softly at Pip.

The three of them made it to their car outside, and were soon driving home. It was silent for the first few minutes before Pip spoke.

"What did Stan, Kyle and Kenny say about what happened?"

"They told them that you were attacked by Eric Cartman," said Pip's mom. "Apparently you both were having an argument and Eric's anger got the better of him and he hit you."

Pip wasn't angry at all that the three of them had twisted the truth. It was understandable; saying a random person did it wouldn't have been very believable at all, and, even though they often had fights, they wouldn't just tell them the truth about Cartman as that would be betraying a friend. Pip would have done the same thing in their position.

"Mr Mackey rang us earlier, however," she continued, and Pip thought his heart stopped at that moment. "And he told us how Eric is the one who has been bullying you the most."

"Um, yes?"

"So I just find it a bit strange that…" her words trailed off.

"We both find it strange how that boy hit you because of an argument and yet is the one who has been bullying you," his father said awkwardly.

"I know that's how it seems, but it isn't like that," said Pip. "Cartman was… Apologising to me, and something was said and the next thing, we were arguing. I mean, it's not a rare thing with Cartman; he and Kyle argue all the time. I guess I took it a step too far and that's why he hit me, probably harder than he intended to."

"That is a shame that you both ended up arguing," his mother said, and Pip had to hold in a sigh from the relief he felt. "He must be nicer than I thought if he was apologising to you. Maybe you two could become friends."

"Yeah, maybe," said Pip. He almost laughed out loud at the thought of Pip Pirrup and Eric Cartman being _friends. _There was no chance at all of that happening.

"Perhaps we could invite him over to dinner sometime?"

Pip froze in his seat. _No way is that happening, no, no, no… _

"I don't think that's a good idea, right now. I don't really know him well enough to have him round just yet. I think it's a better idea to wait and see if we become friends first," Pip said.

"I suppose you do have a point there," she replied, and Pip relaxed again. He didn't even want to think about the horror of his mother ringing Cartman's mom and him actually coming to their house. The embarrassment would be overwhelming. He could see it now… Cartman putting on his little sweet act for Pip's parents, and as soon as they turned around or left the room, he'll say _something _to Pip. Not to mention the amount of mocking looks, and then the worst… How he would act in school the next day. Nope, Pip better make sure that Cartman is far away from his house as possible.

"I really do wish you could become friends with him soon," she continued, and Pip almost groaned.

"Well, I don't know if we really connect. Perhaps we're just really not cut out to be friends," he said slowly.

"You need to be friends with someone, Pip," his father said suddenly. Ouch, that one hurt. Pip knew he felt guilty straight after, and his mother glared at him. But Pip knew that he meant it, even though it was a rather mean thing to say.

"I'm friends with Tweek, that's an example," said Pip, and he wasn't really lying.

"Tweek? The one who drinks a lot of coffee?" asked his mom. Pip didn't really like her tone. What was wrong with Tweek?

"Yes, that's him. We get along well, and he is kind."

"But isn't he best friends with Craig Tucker?"

"Um, yes?" Pip was a little confused. "But why shouldn't I be friends with Tweek because of that?"

"Because you said to Mr Mackey that…" as usual, her words trailed off, and yet Pip knew exactly what she was going to say.

"I know that, but Craig takes his anger out on anyone. It's not just me. He's calm with me any other time," said Pip, and yet again, he was speaking the truth.

"Well, if you say so, dear…"

Pip hated this about his parents. He loved them, they were the most he ever had for parents, but sometimes he really hated how they acted with him. His mom would always ask all of these questions in a really kind and motherly voice, and then she would doubt him in the same voice. Just then, Pip knew that by 'if you say so', she really means 'what a load of bullshit', just in her own words. It was like she, most of the time, didn't take in and didn't understand what Pip was saying, and instead of saying this, she said something like that instead, because she was too scared of hurting Pip. What she didn't realise was that Pip knew exactly what she was thinking every time, and it probably would annoy him less if she just spoke the truth.

His father wasn't much better in situations like these. He would stay silent for a lot of the conversation, and let his wife speak instead. He rarely knew what to say or how to say it. And then, out of nowhere, he would say something, even if it's just a sentence or two, which would be more insulting than him being silent. Pip was almost certain that his father never intended to sound like he did, but it was still something Pip hated. His father only did this in conversations which he found a lot of trouble speaking in, but even in general conversations, he always spoke awkwardly as if he was always worried about insulting Pip. He had never really had a long and in-depth talk with his father.

Saying that, he had never had one with his mother, either.

They had always something strange between Pip and his parents ever since they adopted him. Of course, they were better than the awful times in an orphanage. Pip didn't even like to think about those times, the memories still haunted him. But he never really felt a family kind of vibe living with his parents. He knew that some people were adopted by people who made them feel like they were a real family, but he never had that feeling from his own adopted parents.

They were still definitely better than the orphanage. No doubt.

* * *

Pip and his parents sat down for their dinner not long after they returned home. Even though his mother's cooking was delicious, food wasn't exactly on his mind. He hadn't really thought too much about his dream since he was picked up from the hospital, but now, it had all came back to him.

"_I can assure you, I am real."_

These words should not have been going through his mind as heavily as they were. So what if the strange man had said that. It doesn't mean he is actually real. It was just a dream, nothing more. The man even said so himself. Not to mention that he knew Pip's name. If he was real, then how would he know his name? How would he even be in Pip's dream?

"_Until next time."_

Pip never once had a dream like this one. His dreams often didn't make sense, but he couldn't make this one out at all.

"Phillip? Why have you stopped eating?" his mother asked suddenly, startling Pip a little.

"Oh, I was just thinking about a dream I had," he replied.

"What was it about?"

"It was…"

For some reason, Pip felt uncomfortable telling the truth. He had no idea why, it was just a dream. But he felt like telling her about the dream was like invading his and the man's privacy. He almost laughed at his stupidity – what privacy? It was just a dream.

"… It doesn't really matter. It does not mean anything, it was completely random."

"Well, I believe that every dream has a meaning. Maybe yours does too," she said.

"I don't know."

He was highly doubtful that it actually meant anything. All he dreamt about was some guy at a desk in his room which was all different. That was all.

Sure, it felt real. But that doesn't mean it was. It doesn't mean it had any importance.

* * *

This chapter was so fun to write. Seriously, I am enjoying this so much.

Feel free to leave a review on your thoughts. I love reading them!

Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!


	3. Chapter 3

I'm so glad I am updating this regularly! I'm surprised that I am managing to revise, write this, draw on paper AND post on my YouTube channel! The name for that is Skia Wolf, in case you want to check it out. I post animations on there :)

Anyway, I hope you are liking the story, and enjoy the chapter!

* * *

It was seven days after the incident with Cartman.

Pip had been doing his best to avoid him since then, and was successful. Kyle, Stan and Kenny were trying their best to keep them away from each other also, and Pip was very grateful for that. He did, however, get into a little trouble with Trent Boyett and his gang.

The boy had been trouble since kindergarten, and had been spending his time planning revenge on people he had issues with. He was very tall, even a little bit taller than Craig Tucker and Stan Marsh, and he was also rather muscular. He had spikey dirty blonde hair, and deep brown eyes. One of the only things that made Cartman worse to deal with was how Cartman's target was mainly Pip, as well his teasing with Kyle, while Trent didn't have one specific target, you just had to not be one of the popular kids and not get in his way. Pip rarely got into trouble with Trent, but when he did, it was normally a serious problem.

Trent, unlike Cartman, never bullied alone. It wasn't because he was a coward, he was anything but, however, he always wanted an audience and he wanted to make himself seem tough in front of his friends. Those friends often wanted to get involved themselves in an attempt to impress Trent, and so it they soon became the 'worst bullies'. Whenever they were bored, they just simply wandered around the school grounds, looking out for someone who could possibly be suitable for them to bully. And it just so happened that Pip, for once, was in their way.

"Oh, it's the little French kid!"

"Walking around on your own, are ya?"

"Look at him, he looks terrified! What's the matter, Frenchy? You scared?"

Indeed he was scared. He had been cornered, and all eight of them were grinning from ear to ear. He had expected to be hit, badly. He had seen it happen to other people before. But, it seemed as though luck was finally on his side, when Stan and Kyle interfered.

"Haven't you got anything better to do than go around starting shit with people who don't deserve it?" Stan said, with an evil glare.

"Just fuck off, and leave him alone! Pip didn't do anything!" Kyle had added with a glare of his own.

"Oh, what are you going to do, Jew? Bite our ankles?" Trent laughed, taking a step closer to Kyle. But Stan had soon stepped in front of his much smaller friend, and looked straight up at Trent in the eye.

"Don't you even start, Trent," he growled.

Pip was then even more scared, and not for himself, but for Stan and Kyle. Even though he knew that Stan was very strong, and even Kyle had quite a bit of strength too despite his small size, it was clear that they wouldn't be able to take on the whole of Trent's gang. Pip definitely would not have been able to help.

However, a lot of people were soon gathering around, and all of the attention in the corridor was focused on them. Trent knew that he couldn't start a fight with all of the attention. He liked to show off, but he couldn't do it in front of that many people.

"You two fuckin' fags are gonna pay for this," he hissed instead, and it was clear he wasn't even bothered about Pip anymore. He and his gang walked away silently.

"Are you alright?" Kyle asked once they walked away, and Pip nodded.

"Good," they both said simultaneously, and walked away themselves.

They weren't exactly Pip's friends, but it was nice to know that they cared. Perhaps after what happened with Cartman made them feel guilty for not stopping his previous attacks, and so they wanted to help him. He was very grateful for that, as it was dangerous dealing with Trent and his gang. He was actually concerned about what could happen to them, but he tried not to let the thought plague his mind.

It was hard for it not to, though, when Trent never forgot to seek revenge. Even though Pip naturally hated Cartman with a passion, he hoped Stan and Kyle stayed with him and Kenny because Trent wouldn't start something with all four of them. Especially not with Kenny. No matter what he ever did to Kenny, somehow he was still okay. Nothing ever stopped him.

So, apart from that little moment with Trent, nothing much had happened. Nobody else called him any names in the corridors and such, possibly because of the large bruise on the side of his face which was only starting to heal. He imagined that they must have felt sorry for him. Sure, he could twist the truth to his parents, but someone every other student in the school guessed that is was Cartman who had hit him. Pretty much everyone disliked Cartman at the least. The boy had caused a lot of trouble over the years, though perhaps not having a father figure and not having a suitable mother played a part. He was actually supposed to be getting help for his issues. Even though Cartman had done a lot to him, he felt a little sorry for him.

But it wasn't like Pip didn't have a hard past either, and yet he didn't behave like Cartman. He knew that people dealt with their problems differently, but he still couldn't help but feel hatred after all of the bullying from Cartman. After so many years of being on the receiving end of Cartman's bullying, he no longer thought over excuses for Cartman. He was racist, he was a bitch, he saw Hitler as an idol and he always wanted to get his own way. He had done many messed up things in his life. Pip often wondered how on Earth Stan, Kyle and Kenny put up with him. Especially Kyle, who was the complete opposite of Cartman – he was Jewish, he was kind, and he normally put people's needs before his. Not to mention that he used his intelligence to do well, achieve good grades, and help others. Cartman only used his intelligence to commit crimes and manipulate others.

And why Cartman chose Pip to bully instead of someone else… He didn't know. Perhaps it was simply bad luck? Maybe Cartman didn't get enough from teasing Kyle nonstop.

But Pip had always had bad luck. It was constant, never ending… Basically, his life was bad luck. When he was younger, he would pray every night for him to be happy, to know what it's like to live a life like a general child should. He prayed less once he joined high school, but he still did when something had happened. He had lost almost all faith a long time ago that God was listening to his prayers and was right there, ready to help him. But he still did, because he couldn't really do much else. It was like he still prayed, because there was a tiny bit of hope inside him that _someone _out there was listening, and was waiting out there to help him. That _somebody _out there cared. He needed someone to help him through this.

He knew he had no other way to carry on.

* * *

It seemed as though Pip's luck over the last week had only been temporary. Perhaps because now it had been just over a week since the incident with Cartman, people had started forgetting about it, even though the bruise was still visible on the side of Pip's head.

He didn't even know if the people who he barely knew actually hated him or not. It seemed to have become a trend for the popular people to say things to him as he passed them by. A lot of them didn't see that their words actually hurt them, or maybe they did, but just wanted to fit in with everyone else. Clearly, to be 'cool', you had to hurt those less fortunate than you. Pip wasn't the only victim; a few other people got teased too. Tweek received a lot of hurtful comments at one point, but no one dared to after he became close to Craig.

But it seemed as though it was worse with Pip than anyone else. He didn't know whether it was because he was British, because he didn't wear the same sort of clothing, or whatever reason people found to bully someone. It wasn't because he was smart, he knew that, because Kyle was the smartest person in the year and the only person who said anything hurtful to him was Cartman. The only reason Trent had insulted him was because he was interrupting him and the two groups had _always _hated each other.

People say never let words get to you, because it isn't worth it. But when you have words like 'fag', 'pathetic', and 'waste of space' said to you as you try to go to your lesson, you can't help but let them get to you. On worst days, the word 'Frenchy' even got to him a little, because he used to be proud to be British but people were taking that away from him.

Not to mention the laughing as he went by. What was he doing that was so laughable? Nothing. Nothing at all. Unless that simply walking was something to laugh at, he wasn't doing anything worthy of being laughed at. Was it a trend? Or was it a case of trying to seem tough? Was it a mixture of both, or was he honestly that funny? He didn't know. He didn't know why people would laugh at all.

He was incredibly down by lunchtime. Even though he hadn't run into Cartman or Trent that day, the other people made up for it. It was a rather bad day with it all, and he simply wanted to go home and stay in his room. If he had the courage to, he would have sneaked out of school, but he was always terrified of being caught or getting questioned about where he was the next day. He could be awful at lying when he was under pressure, so he didn't take a chance with it. Instead, he settled himself on a part of the school field where no one went. It was quiet, peaceful, and he never had anyone trouble him here. He also always brought his own food, so he didn't have to get anything from the canteen. All through lunch, he would just sit there. There was a large tree which he would lean back against, and the leaves would provide the perfect shade. He would always bring a jacket to sit on, so it didn't matter if the grass was covered in snow or was wet from the rain. He would only go inside if the weather was too hard to handle.

He got his iPod out of his pocket and put the headphones in his ears. Most people looked at Pip and thought he would be the type to listen to classical music, but he was, in fact, a fan of rock. He didn't exactly like anything too heavy, but he liked the meaningful lyrics of a lot of the songs and how well band members synchronised together.

'_Say goodbye, as we dance with the devil tonight…'_

He loved this song; he didn't know why he hadn't listened to it in a while. He sat up, and his thoughts drifted away from the lyrics and to more of what happened the previous week. This song reminded him of the dream he had. Most of the time, he would just forget about dreams, but this one was different. He actually felt _betrayed _that he hadn't seen the man again. But why would he? It was just a dream, it's not like he was going to see the man again. He felt ridiculous, and yet he couldn't push the thoughts of him away. Especially those eyes, those red, staring eyes.

'_Don't you dare look at him in the eye...'_

It was like he was some sort of devil. Red eyes, fiery room... Not to mention the satanic cross where his regular cross was. It all confused him terribly.

The sound of the school bell ringing in the distance interrupted his thoughts. He looked down at his sandwich and almost laughed when he saw he had hardly eaten any of it at all. Ah, well. He wasn't even hungry anymore.

* * *

It was now Pip's last lesson of the day. Finally, he could begin to relax. The lesson was math, and of course, he worried about nothing in this lesson. He was in such low spirits, and he really just wanted this lesson, despite being his favourite, to be over as soon as possible. He needed to get home, he felt so overwhelmed from the day and he didn't think he could cope with much more.

He sighed quietly as he sat down in his seat. He looked up as the rest of the class walked past as well into their seats, all smiling and chatting with their friends. Jealously yet again found its way to Pip.

"Alright, I hope you have all revised for your test? Just remember that..."

Pip wasn't listening. His focus was on someone to his right – Craig. Something wasn't okay, here. He looked distant, and there was no Tweek next to him, either. Pip looked slightly more carefully at Craig's face. It may not have been noticeable by anyone else, only perhaps by his three close friends, but it was obvious to Pip. Craig's cheeks were a tiny little bit more flushed than usual, his dark eyelashes looked darker, and his eyes glistened more than they did normally. He had been crying.

Pip frowned. What had happened? He looked at Tweek's empty seat... Could it be because something had happened to Tweek? Pip may had been upset himself, but seeing someone else be upset made him feel worse, especially if that someone was the usually emotionless Craig Tucker. It was such a strange sight to see him upset, even though he was hiding it fairly well, to everyone else.

The test papers were soon handed out, and everybody had started to answer the questions, but Pip's mind wasn't focused on solving some math problems. He knew he had to find out what the reason behind Craig's mood was, and what had happened; otherwise it wouldn't stop bugging him.

Time passed by at an even slower pace than it had done all day, but eventually they had finished the test and the school bell had rung. Craig had quickly walked out of the room and was almost all the way down the corridor thanks to his tall legs, but Pip managed to catch up to him.

"Craig! Wait!" he called, ignoring a couple of looks he got from some of the people passing by. Craig turned around, and frowned at Pip.

"What is it?" he asked even more quietly than usual.

"It's just that... Uh, come outside for a minute," said Pip, nodding towards the door at the end of the corridor.

"Watch out, Craig, the fag is going to confess his love for you!" some boy shouted, and everyone around him laughed. Craig, in his usual style, flipped them off, and then followed Pip outside and around the corner, so no one was around.

"What?" Craig snapped, and Pip could see just how much his patience was dropping.

"I just wanted to know what happened," Pip said.

"What do you mean?"

Pip gulped. Craig did not sound happy at all.

"I-I just saw in math class that you are a bit down, and I saw Tweek wasn't there... So I was just wondering if anything happened to him..."

"STAY OUT OF HIS FUCKING BUSINESS!" Craig suddenly shouted at the top of his lungs, and had moved closer towards Pip. The much smaller boy gulped, and backed away, though as he did so his back pressed against the wall.

"C-Craig, I didn't mean to..."

"IF YOU DIDN'T MEAN TO YOU WOULD HAVE LEFT IT ALONE!"

People had soon begun to gather around them. Craig's hands grabbed at Pip's collar, and pushed him harder into the wall, making him yelp. Craig's face moved closer to Pip's so they were only a centimetre apart.

"Leave me alone," Craig hissed in a voice barely loud enough for Pip to hear. "I want your pathetic self to stay away from us, okay? I don't need some little nobody to take care of someone who-"

"CRAIG TUCKER! Get off him RIGHT NOW!"

A teacher had come running up to Craig, but he had already let go of Pip. He flipped the teacher off before quickly walking away and out of the school. Pip rubbed at his neck, and blinked back the tears forming in his eyes.

"Pip? Are you alright?" the teacher said, putting his hand on Pip's shoulder. The boy shrugged the hand off, and walked past all of the staring students without saying a word.

* * *

"Pip, what's the matter?" his mother said as soon as Pip walked through the front door.

"I'm fine," he said softly.

"Pip, tell me!" she cried, but Pip was already at the top of the stairs. He opened his bedroom door, closed it, and fell straight onto his bed. His mother soon rushed into the room, his father close behind her.

"Pip, tell me what's wrong, please!" she pleaded.

"I'm fine," he said.

"Tell us, Pip. There is clearly something wrong," his father said.

"I'm fine," he repeated.

"No, you're not!" his mother cried.

"I'm fine."

After a few more minutes of not getting anywhere, his parents left. He sighed deeply. He was anything but 'fine'. His day was already bad, but then Craig? Why couldn't he see that Pip cared? Why did he have to be like this every time? Craig had hurt him so much, hurt him more than anything that day. Pip had always been kind to Craig, and all he had was spite in return. He was sick of the names, sick of people not understanding him, sick of _everything..._

He was silent all through dinner. His parents tried to get him to open up, but of course, he didn't. They wouldn't understand, just like no one else did. They didn't even come to see him in his room before they went to bed. They had probably given up.

Pip had no idea what time it was when he had stopped crying. He peered up at the cross above his head, and pressed his hands together to do the act he had lost so much faith in.

"_Please... If you're listening... Just make him stop."_

Those were the only words he whispered under his breath. He knew that no one would be listening, they never did. If they did, why would his life still be like it was?

Exhausted, his eyelids fell, and he soon fell asleep...

* * *

Thank you for reading, and please leave a review for me to look at?

I have a feeling you're going to enjoy the next chapter!


	4. Chapter 4

Hello again guys!

Thank you for your reviews, and those who have followed this story. I appreciate it!

I enjoyed writing this chapter a lot. Hopefully you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it!

* * *

A loud gasp escaped Pip's lips as he opened his eyes. Frozen to the spot, he looked around the room... Which looked just like it had done in that dream.

What was going on? Why was he having the same dream again? Though, it wasn't even the same, he could control his movements exactly like he could last time. He looked down at his hands, and loosened the fists. Yes, he could definitely control his movements once again. So if he was in the same room as he was last time, then surely...

He looked up and found the desk once again. This time, the man was already sitting down at the desk, and was staring up at Pip with his crimson eyes. Pip shivered.

The man gestured with his hand for Pip to sit down. The blonde slowly made his way to the seat, and lowered himself into it.

"It's good to see you again. Sorry I couldn't come to see you sooner, I have been caught up with a few things," the man said.

"W-What?" Pip stammered. The man tilted his head.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"You're just someone in a dream... How can you get caught up with things?"

The man chuckled.

"I'm not 'just' someone in a dream. I'm in a dream, that is correct. But that isn't who I am completely."

"Then who are you? How are you in my dream?"

"You'll learn who I am soon enough, Pip," the man said. "And that's easy. Haven't you already guessed that I am rather in control here?"

Pip glanced around the room. Was he implying that he was the one who had created all of this?

"Did you... Make all of this?" Pip asked. The man shook his head.

"Not exactly. I can control this place, but I did not make it."

"I don't exactly understand how this is all happening..."

The man smiled.

"You will, soon enough. But shall we talk about you?"

"M-Me?" Pip questioned. "Why me?"

"Well, this is supposedly your dream, isn't it?" the man said.

"Yes..." Pip said. "Except... Can you at least tell me your name?"

"I suppose that is only fair," said the man. He reached out one pale hand, the nails painted black. "My name is Damien."

Pip reached out and shook Damien's hand. A chill went down his spine the moment he did so.

"This is your dream, so we shall talk about you," Damien smiled, and clicked his fingers. Pip gasped as some sort of file dropped into Damien's right hand in a flash of fire, which disappeared quickly. Damien placed it onto the desk, and rested both of his hands on it. Pip peered at its cover, and was fairly surprised to see his own name written in red writing across the top of the black file.

"W-Why is my name..." Pip couldn't finish his words.

"We will get to that soon enough," said Damien. "But we need to discuss something else first."

"And what is that?" asked Pip.

"Do you believe that there is anyone out there who listens to your prayers?"

Pip thought his heart had stopped for a moment.

"H-How do you know about that?"

"You didn't answer my question. I do not like people answering my questions with their own question," Damien smirked.

"I-I don't know..." said Pip. "I hope there is, but I lost my faith that God is listening a while ago... I just pray because it's the only thing I can do."

"God has never listened," said Damien, shaking his head. "Not to you, at the very least. The amount of words you have whispered to him is great, and yet... How many has he listened to? None. In fact, I often wonder if he listens to any prayers out there."

"So you are saying there is no point behind praying?" Pip questioned.

"I would not say that. Just because God has not been listening to you, it does not mean nobody has been listening to you."

"I don't understand..."

"I will help you to," Damien said, and he opened up the black file his hands were rested on. Pip had almost forgotten about that. "Do you know what this contains, Pip?"

"I do not..."

"This contains your prayers, Pip," said Damien as he flicked through the pages. "Years and years of words of what you have wanted, all contained, in pages of print."

"B-But how?" Pip questioned, astonished.

"Like I said, just because God has not been listening to you, it does not mean nobody has. I can see a lot about you on these pages."

"Can't you explain this more to me? I'm afraid I have next to no clue about what is going on..."

"I'm sorry to say that we may not have enough time for that, with what I want to do with you," Damien said softly.

Pip jumped out of his chair, and began to slowly back away.

"W-What you want to do with me?" Pip repeated, his eyes wide. Damien looked at him silently, then chuckled and shook his head.

"My dear Pip, I don't mean anything to harm you," said Damien. He stopped flicking through the pages of the file, and looked down at the page he was on. "_Please... If you're listening... Just make him stop_."

"T-That's..."

"That is your prayer from before you went to sleep," said Damien. "Those words were about Craig Tucker, correct?"

"Yes..."

"He takes his anger out on you, doesn't he? Something bad happens and he chooses you to help make him feel better. The small, innocent blonde who is bullied by many. It's an easy choice, and so he chooses it."

"How do you know this?"

"Like I said, we do not have time for details tonight," said Damien. He clicked his fingers once again, and the file disappeared in the flash of fire. "How about we go and see Craig?"

"Go and see him?" Pip frowned. "But how can I when I am asleep?"

"I shall explain on the way," Damien smiled. He walked over to the window, and with a quick wave of his hand, the fire vanished and it had opened. Damien jumped out of it, and landed straight into the tree just outside of it gracefully and with ease. He reached out a hand, his eyes staring into Pip's. "Shall we?"

Pip walked over to the window hesitantly, and stopped when he was by it.

"I-I can't do that..." he said, staring at Damien standing in the tree.

"Come on, it'll be fine. I will catch you. What is there to lose?"

After another moment of hesitation, Pip jumped, and closed his eyes as he did so. He expected to hit the ground, but his hand had grabbed onto Damien's and he was safely stood on the branch of the tree.

"See, that wasn't so hard, was it?" Damien chuckled. Still clutching Pip's hand, he jumped out of the tree, and they lowered to the ground at an unnatural speed. He let go of Pip's hand once they had landed, and smirked.

"If you can do that, what was the point in jumping onto the tree in the first place?" Pip questioned, an eyebrow raised.

"Because I wanted to prove to you that you are able to trust me. If I had just grabbed your hand and jumped out of the window, I would have only surprised you. You wouldn't have made it into that tree if it wasn't for me catching you," Damien explained.

"I see..." Pip said.

"Come, we must get there quickly," said Damien, and began to walk away. Pip followed him, staring around at him in wonder.

It was South Park, and yet it was completely different. The town was recognisable, and yet it was full of fire, which wasn't even burning the grass or anything. It was so strange. Even though he was sleeping, it all felt so... Real.

"Damien?" said Pip, still looking at his surroundings.

"Yes?"

"Why does everything look like this?" he asked. "It looks like... Hell."

"It is similar to Hell, yes. It is just as real as Hell, and trust me, both are very real."

"But how is it real when I am asleep?"

"Because I have the power to take you here while you are unconscious. That is the only way how you can come here," said Damien.

"But how are those people here?" said Pip, pointing to four figures on the other side of the road.

"This place is like a different dimension to the normal world," said Damien. "One which you can only visit if I take you here, though I did not create it. Even though you are asleep, with me, you are able to see people who are here in your normal world, though they cannot see or hear you."

"That is incredible..." Pip said quietly. Damien nodded.

"Indeed it is," said Damien. He chuckled as they stood by the four people, who seemed to be highly intoxicated. "Some people in this world are very stupid."

"Yes, they are," Pip laughed the first laugh he had let out in front of Damien. The man stepped closer to one of the four people, who shivered and looked around him. "Can they sense you?"

"Yes, not you, however. They cannot see, hear or even feel the touch of either of us, but they can feel a chilling sensation from me."

Damien carried on walking down the sidewalk, and Pip hurriedly followed him. They walked in silence, with Pip looking around in awe all the while. Soon enough, they had arrived at Craig's house. Damien nodded towards the side of the building, and pointed up at the window.

"That is Craig's bedroom," said Damien. "That ledge is large enough for us to sit on."

"But how-"

Damien had already jumped up with a supernatural ability and was perched on the ledge. He reached out his hand, grinning.

"Come on, jump."

"I can't jump that high!"

"Just jump, Pip."

Feeling like a fool, Pip jumped. Somehow, shadows formed around him, and soon enough he was grabbing Damien's hand and was perched next to him on the window ledge.

"Oh, gosh," Pip said, and Damien chuckled.

"It seems as though Craig is awake," said Damien, looking through the window. Pip looked also, and he stopped smiling when he saw Craig.

He was still in his clothes, and he was sitting on the edge of his bed. Tears ran down his face as he held his phone to his ear, clearly listening to someone. His other hand was repeatedly brushing his raven hair back, and his hat was discarded on the floor. The window was open, and so they were able to hear him.

"Tweek, baby, please don't," they heard him plead. There was a pause. "I know, baby, I know... They are horrible; just don't listen to them, please... No, it's not true! Seriously Tweek, every word they say is a lie. Look, we have no school tomorrow; spend the day with me, okay? I need to see you, Tweek... I love you too. I need to hold you in my arms and tell you everything will be okay."

The boy looked up, and shivered as he looked out of his window. He walked over, shut the window, and pulled the curtains across. Pip was glad – he didn't want to hear any more.

Damien jumped down off the ledge, and gestured for Pip to as well. He did so, and yet again, lowered to the ground with ease.

"I never knew they were that close..." Pip said. "I just hope Tweek will be okay..."

"He will be," said Damien. "But I am more bothered about you being okay."

"Huh?"

"You are hurting too, just as much as Tweek is. Craig has added to this hurting, and so he needs be punished to learn that it is wrong."

"I understand now, though..." said Pip, looking back up at the window. "He's always taken out his anger and his sadness on other people."

"But he shouldn't!" said Damien, placing his pale hands on Pip's shoulders. "You are in a lot of pain, Pip, and you do nothing of the sort. Tweek hurts too, and yet he does not either. It does not matter if Craig's way of coping with his, or in this case, Tweek's pain – it is wrong, and nobody in the world should use their own pain as an excuse to cause others pain. Craig needs to learn that he cannot keep hurting you to make himself feel better, and he needs to learn that as soon as possible. Does that make sense to you?"

Pip looked up into Damien's red eyes. Pip had always made excuses for Craig, but Damien was right. Craig needed to stop.

"... Yes, it does," Pip nodded.

"Good," said Damien, releasing his hands off Pip's shoulders. He sighed, looking up at the sky, which was looking lighter than before. "I will try to see you sooner next time, Pip. But it looks like you will be waking up any minute now."

"But..." Pip hesitated. He had strangely begun to feel at ease with Damien, even though there were still so many unanswered questions. Where did Damien come from? How did he have all of these powers? How was he able to bring Pip to this place?

Who exactly was Damien?

"Until next time, Pip."

* * *

Pip's eyes fluttered open, and they looked around his bedroom. He sat up, taking in the normal appearance of his bedroom. No fire, homely colours, the regular cross above his bed. It had all turned back to how it was... No, it hadn't. Nothing had changed; he had just come back to the normal world.

Pip almost laughed at himself. He had returned to the normal world? It sounded ridiculous. But was it true? Was it more than just a dream?

He stretched and got out of bed. Images of Craig on the phone to Tweek went through Pip's mind... That was real? The words of reassurance to Tweek, the tears running down Craig's face... The words 'I love you too'. Was it real? Was all of it real?

He felt a breeze run through his thin pyjamas, and he quickly put his dressing gown on. He almost froze as he did so – where was that breeze coming from? He was certain he had closed his window last night...

He looked over at it, and frowned at it in puzzlement. The curtains were drawn and the window was wide open. So when Damien opened the window... It actually happened? All while Pip was asleep?

All of these thoughts were beginning to give him a migraine. It was all true, the dream, and everything that had happened with Damien. It sounded crazy – in fact, it didn't just _sound _crazy, it _was _crazy. Had Damien been listening to his prayers all of this time? But how? It made no sense...

He had no idea who Damien was. Did he live in South Park? Pip had never seen him before. He had so many questions to ask him, he needed so many answers. He supposed he would just have to wait for Damien's next 'visit'... Or as it seemed, _Pip's _visit to whatever that place was.

Thank goodness it was a Saturday. He had been so distracted recently that he was barely keeping track of time. Perhaps he should just spend this day relaxing, and not really doing anything. He was so worn down by everything and he just needed a break.

And yet... Seeing Damien that night had somehow given him comfort. It was as though Damien was his friend. It was bizarre, sure, but he had never felt as connected to someone as he did with Damien, even though he had only seen him twice, and had only just learnt his name.

Part of Pip wanted him to walk around South Park that day, and see if he could spot Damien anywhere. Surely if Damien knew the way from Pip's house to Craig's, even if it was in some sort of different dimension, he was at least familiar with the small town?

A knock on his door startled him out of his thoughts.

"Who is it?" Pip called, even though he already knew the answer.

"It's me, Phillip. Can I come in?" he heard his mother's voice call.

"Yes, you can."

His mother opened the door, and stood in the doorway as though she was worried about entering.

"It's fine, you can come in," Pip said. His mother nodded, walked over to Pip's bed, and sat on it. Pip sat down beside her.

"How are you?"

"I'm good," said Pip.

His mother sighed, and put her arm around Pip.

"You didn't seem like that yesterday," she said. "What happened, Pip?"

"Well..."

Pip didn't want Craig to get into trouble. Yes, Damien was very truthful with his words, but both Craig and Tweek seemed to be going through a lot recently. But, he knew that his mother wouldn't leave him alone until he told her. He just had to make sure she wouldn't say anything to Mr Mackey.

"I was just having a pretty bad day all through yesterday. I just wanted to get home, really. But last lesson, in maths, Tweek wasn't there and I noticed that Craig had been crying, which is something he has hardly ever done before. I tried to ask him what was wrong, and he basically got really angry with me. It hurt me quite a bit because all I wanted to do was show I care, but I know that something is happening with Tweek and I also know that Craig didn't mean it at all. He'll apologise to me soon enough, I'm sure."

Naturally, Pip could not tell her about the phone call he had overheard between Craig and Tweek. 'Oh, a handsome tall fellow made me jump out of the window and follow him through streets full of fire so we could overhear a private conversation between two of my classmates while I was asleep'.

Nope, that would not work. Luckily, his mother seemed to understand he did not want to get Mr Mackey involved or anything like that.

"I'm not very happy that Craig got angry with you... But I do hope that he and Tweek will be okay soon."

"Yes, I do too."

His mother paused before continuing.

"They seem extremely close. Are they... More than friends?"

'_I love you too. I need to hold you in my arms and tell you everything will be okay...'_

"I believe so."

* * *

Pip walked through the streets that night. It wasn't so late, only around 8:00pm, but it was still dark. His mother was worried about him walking around at night, but Pip preferred it at this time. In this town it was quiet around this time. Most people his age would be getting ready for the party Token was holding that night. He had never been to one of Token's parties, but it was common knowledge that the ones at Token's house were the best. His parents were often away on the weekends because of work, and so he had the huge house to himself. He didn't even have to clean up himself; he could simply get the maids to do that for him. The only sounds tended to be the odd car driving by.

Pip loved the beauty of the night. The snow looked beautiful under the moonlight, and the sky was often clear and full of stars. It was very relaxing.

He sat down on a bench and took out his iPod. He was just going to listen to a couple of calm songs, and then start heading back. He peered down the sidewalk, and sat up a little when two figures were walking down the sidewalk near him. It was Craig and Tweek.

They were so enthralled with their conversation that neither of them noticed Pip sitting on the bench. He didn't mind, though. They probably would have gotten embarrassed if they noticed him sitting there, as their hands were linked.

A small smile grew on Pip's face. He never would have guessed that there was more between them. Yes, they had been inseparable for years, but they never showed any signs of loving each other romantically. It seemed as though it was something that they kept away from everybody else.

He took out his mobile phone when he felt it vibrate. It was a message from his mother.

'_Pip, are you coming home soon? I don't want you walking around too late at night.'_

He rolled his eyes. Apparently, 8:30 was late to his mother.

'_I'm coming home now, don't worry.' _

He rose up from the bench, and was about to walk down the direction Tweek and Craig had come from, but...

"C-Craig, what's going on? Y-Your eyes!" A loud cry from Tweek echoed through the street. Pip quickly turned around, and the event that occurred was quick.

Craig suddenly walked out onto the road, without a word. Tweek screamed, and quickly ran out after him, and without even thinking about it, pushed the taller boy out of the way. Pip cried out and covered his eyes, and when he opened them, Craig was crouched on the floor, and his eyes which had been pure black faded back to normal, and he was holding up Tweek's head.

"TWEEK!"

* * *

*Feels guilty as Tweek is perfect*

*Throws netbook out of window*

*Cries*

HE'S NOT DEAD, OKAY? I don't like to say these things but I adore Tweek and unless it fitted in tremendously, I wouldn't kill him. Okay? Okay.

I'm like... The opposite of Little Miss Sunshine. Seriously.

But yeah... I hoped you enjoyed the chapter EVEN THOUGH I AM CRUEL. Damien made another appearance, sooooo...

A couple of you said Damien sounds hot. Indeed he does. I find both guys and girls like that highly attractive. BISEXUAL AND GOTHIC PRIDE BIIIIITCHEEEEES.

I am a very weird person. Until next time.


	5. Chapter 5

Hello my glorious readers!

I am sorry this update took slightly longer than they have been. I've been revising for my final exams and been coping with health problems and everything. But it is here, now!

**I do want to ask you all something at the end, so please make sure you read it!**

Enjoy the chapter!

* * *

Pip ran as fast as he could to Craig and Tweek. The driver of the car and his girlfriend jumped out of the car and were soon standing over Tweek, horrified.

"Oh God, I didn't mean to," the driver said, panicked.

"JUST CALL A MOTHER-FUCKING AMBULANCE!" Craig shouted at him. The man nodded, and quickly got his phone out of his pocket while his girlfriend told him to hurry.

"Hello? I need an ambulance..."

"What happened? Why did you walk out onto the road like that?" Pip asked as he crouched beside Craig.

"I don't even know!" Craig cried. "All I remember is seeing some thing, or _someone, _and next thing I know I can't see anything but black and I couldn't even feel anything! I thought I was dead! Soon after, the darkness vanished, and I was on the ground with Tweek like this!"

"H-How is that even possible?"

"I don't know, I seriously don't know!" Craig's eyes looked down at Tweek. "Come on, please be alright, please be alright..."

"Are they on their way?" Pip asked the man, who nodded.

"I'm so sorry, I swear I didn't mean to..." he said.

"It isn't your fault," said Craig, before Pip had a chance himself. "Don't worry about it."

The wait for the ambulance to arrive seemed like hours on end. Craig kept brushing Tweek's hair back, mumbling words to him, and checking to see if he was still breathing. Eventually, the ambulance had arrived, and Tweek was soon placed onto a stretcher and into the vehicle. Without even asking if he was allowed, Craig clambered in after them. Pip wasn't sure of what to do, but when Craig gestured for Pip to climb in also, he got inside just before the doors were closed.

The trip seemed to take even longer than the waiting did. All throughout it, Craig was holding Tweek's hand tightly as the paramedics looked over the injured blonde, as though if he let go, he would lose him. It was a heart-breaking thing for Pip to witness, and he had to look away.

They were soon at Hell's Pass Hospital, and Tweek was immediately attended to. Craig and Pip had to wait in the waiting room, which Craig, of course, wasn't pleased with. He was pacing back and forth, and ignored Pip's mumble for him to sit down.

Pip took out his phone and cursed mentally when he saw he had twenty missed calls and five messages from his mother, with the last one of them saying that she was going to ring the police. Ignoring the hospital's policy on mobiles, he dialled her number. She picked up extremely quickly.

"_Pip, where on Earth are you? Are you hurt? Did you get kidnapped? Why aren't you home?"_

"Mother, no, I am fine. Tweek had an accident and I came with him and Craig to the hospital. I haven't had the chance to call you because of the chaos."

Pip felt Craig's eyes looking at him as he was on the phone.

"_Oh, no! What has happened to him?_

"He got... He got hit by a car."

"_That is awful! Is he okay?"_

Pip glanced up at Craig.

"... We don't really know. We're in the waiting room."

"_Would you like me to come?"_

"No, it's fine. I suppose I'll be home as soon as we find out how Tweek is."

"_Alright, be careful on your way home."_

"I will be, mother."

"_I will be praying for Tweek. I love you."_

"I love you too."

Pip ended the call and sighed. Craig looked at him one last time before sitting down in the chair besides him. Craig put his head into his hands and let out a sigh of his own.

"I'm sorry," he said a couple of minutes later. Pip looked at him shocked for a moment.

"Pardon?"

"I'm sorry," Craig repeated, and lowered his head, his eyes closed. "I feel guilty about how I was with you yesterday and... Yeah, I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Pip said softly. "I understand why you were like that with me."

"You do?" asked Craig, looking back up at Pip, who nodded.

"Yes, I do. People take out their anger and their pain in different ways, and I know that you take yours out in an aggressive way. I can imagine that it makes you feel like you're more in control, and I understand how it helps you."

"You're exactly right," said Craig. "I seriously don't mean to insult anyone... Well, except from someone like Cartman. I don't know how to make me feel better any other way, but I do know that I need to learn. I shouldn't cause people pain to help my own. It's just..."

"It's just what?"

"It's just _Tweek, _you know? I have never cared about someone as much as I care about him. I can't go into detail, I can't do that to him, but he is going through such a rough time at the moment and it gets to me so much. I can deal with shit that happens to me, but to him? Not a chance."

"It does show how much you care for him," said Pip, smiling softly.

"I do care about him... I love him."

Even though he had overheard Craig saying he loved Tweek while he was in the other dimension with Damien, it still shocked Pip. They obviously kept their love secret, and to hear someone like _Craig Tucker _tell Pip he loves someone, it was unbelievable.

They were silent for the rest of their waiting. Pip didn't know how much time went by before a nurse entered the room and walked over to them.

"You can see him now, if you like..." she said quietly.

"How is he?" Craig asked desperately. The nurse was silent for a few moments before speaking.

"He is in a very bad state... We have done what we can, but I'm afraid that there is a high chance that he could..."

"That he could die?" Craig finished for her. She nodded, sadly.

"His parents have been called, and they said they will get here as soon as possible."

"I want to see him before _they _get here," he said, the word 'they' being spoke with spite in his voice.

The nurse nodded.

"Follow me, I'll take you to him," she said. Craig began to, but paused when Pip wasn't with them. He turned around, looking at Pip.

"Are you not coming?" he asked.

"I think it would be best to leave you alone with him," said Pip.

"I will let you know if... If anything happens," said Craig, and Pip could see he was trying to hold back tears.

"Thank you."

Pip left the hospital, quickly messaged his mother to let her know he was on the way home, and started walking with Tweek plaguing his thoughts.

* * *

Craig groaned as he opened his eyes. Hospital chairs are not very comfortable to sleep in, _at all. _He looked up at the hospital, and a gasp escaped his lips when he looked around the room. It looked like... _Hell._

The whiteness of the hospital had darkened to tones of black and red. Bright fire flickered against the walls and the window, but for some strange reason, it wasn't burning anything. He thought he might have been dreaming, or even dead, but Tweek was still sleeping in the bed. Unless they were both dead? '_God knows', _he thought to himself.

He quickly walked over to Tweek's bed, and pressed the back of his hand to the boy's forehead. At least, he _tried _to. His hand simply went through, or at least he couldn't feel anything.

"What the hell?" he gasped, pulling his hand away.

"This isn't quite Hell. Trust me, I would know."

Craig spun round as he heard a man's voice. He couldn't see anybody there.

"Who's there?" he called, glancing panicked around the room.

"Relax, Craig. It's fine," the man said again. Suddenly, he stepped out of the shadows of the room, which didn't seem large enough at all to conceal the whole of him.

The man was very tall, even taller than Craig. He had extremely pale skin, raven-black hair, and was wearing an outfit that was also purely black. His eyes were a pure red colour, and Craig shuddered when he looked into them.

"Who are you? How do you know my name?"

"I have my ways," said the man. He stretched a hand out to Craig. "I'm normally not one to introduce myself so early, but I don't think we will be meeting again. My name is Damien Thorn."

Craig looked down at the pale hand, but didn't take it. Damien laughed, though he still held his hand out.

"What's the matter? There's no need to be scared, Craig."

"I'm not scared," Craig snapped, and shook the man's hand firmly.

"My, you're certainly a lot different to how dear Pip is like with me."

"Pip? How do you know Pip?"

"We've met a couple of times," said Damien. "He's the reason why I am here."

"How have you?" asked Craig, tilting his head. "And what exactly has happened 'here'?"

"That doesn't matter. All you need to know is that you're not dead, nor is Tweek. You're simply sleeping."

"But how are you here if I'm sleeping?"

"There's no time for that. You won't be sleeping long in those awful chairs, so I have to try to be quick. I have a busy life; I can't afford to visit you twice if I don't have to."

"Why is Pip the reason why you're here? Did he send you here?"

Damien chuckled and shook his head.

"No, not quite. But he is linked to what has happened to poor Tweek over there," said Damien, pointing to the bed where Tweek lay.

"How..."

"Don't you remember?" smirked Damien. "Before everything went black?"

Craig looked thoughtful for a moment, before that look turned into one of pure fury.

"YOU BASTARD!" he screamed, lunging himself at Damien. However, all his hands caught were black smoke.

"Now calm down, let's talk about this," said Damien's voice from behind him. Craig turned around, and there he stood.

"Why would you do that? You could have at least just let me get hurt!"

"That's what I intended to do," said Damien. "I possessed _you _with the intention of hurting _you. _I don't have any issues with Tweek, none at all. I only have issues with you."

"But why do you?"

"Because of how you treat Pip."

Craig lowered his head in shame.

"I said I'm sorry to him earlier," he said. "I truly hate how I have treated him."

"That doesn't take away the pain you caused him," Damien hissed.

"I know! But I can't help it, I honestly can't."

"It is Tweek."

"Yes, it is Tweek!" Craig cried. "I want to fucking help him! All his life, his parents have treated him like he is _nothing. _He gets diagnosed with a mental condition, and what do they do? Nothing, except from give him coffee! What sort of parents gives their son _coffee _as a relief? They act like they don't care, and they've always treated him horribly. He started s_elf-harming_ and rather treat him like they should do and actually _care, _they start discussing about sending him to a _mental asylum!_ I don't just want to help him, I _need _to help him."

"I understand all of that," said Damien. "But I don't want you to cause Pip pain because of what is happening with Tweek. It is unfair. Pip has been through a lot, and not just through high school, either. I was supposed to hurt you to teach you a lesson, but this gives the same message. Hurt Pip again, and I will hurt you again."

"I wish I had never treated Pip like that," said Craig. "I admit that I'm an asshole to most people. And by most, I mean pretty much everyone. But I never meant to hurt Pip as much as I did. And for that, I am sorry."

"Just make sure it _never _happens again."

Craig shook his head.

"It won't. Causing Pip pain won't help anything at all."

Damien nodded in agreement. Craig looked at Tweek's form in the bed, and breathed in sharply.

"Will Tweek be okay?" he asked in a quiet voice.

"Not like this, he won't be. If he stays like this, I doubt he will be alive by the end of the week."

Craig looked down at the ground, biting his lip. He was obviously making a huge effort not to shed any tears. Damien didn't feel any pity. In his mind, it was deserved. But he knew Pip would not be happy if Tweek died, and he knew something must be done.

"However," Damien started. Craig's head shot up, his eyes glistening with hope. "If I have the most honest agreement that you won't hurt Pip ever again, then I will save him."

"You have my word," said Craig. "I won't hurt Pip ever again, I promise. Just please, _please _help Tweek. That's all I ask for. I can't let him die."

"We have to make this a proper agreement," said Damien, and he reached out his hand.

Craig did not hesitate to take it. To his surprise, a ring of fire flared around their joined hands, though he did not let go.

"If you break your promise not to attack Pip ever again, even I am afraid of what I would have to do to you. Understood?" said Damien in a low voice.

Craig gulped, but he nodded nonetheless.

"I understand."

"Do not tell anyone about seeing me, either. Especially not Pip."

Craig nodded once more.

The fire flashed before it vanished, and then Damien released his hold on Craig's hand. The tall man walked over to Pip's bed, and hovered a hand over him. A red light began to form in Damien's hand, and he raised his head to look at Craig.

"Do you hear that?" he said. Craig listened, and he could hear distant voices.

"What's that all about?"

"You're waking up. Don't forget about your promise. I always keep to my word."

* * *

Pip's eyes fluttered open, and he was immediately disappointed when he realised he was awake. He had prayed for Tweek last night, and he had hoped he would have seen Damien again because of this, but he didn't.

Perhaps Damien was busy. Pip had no idea what he would be busy with, but it's a possibility.

He quickly got out of bed and changed into his clothes. He planned to quickly go to the hospital and see how Tweek was from the previous night. He knew where the room was, so hopefully he could get there without being stopped or confronted or anything. Even though he could probably think of an excuse easily enough if it wasn't visiting hours, he just simply wanted to go straight to Tweek and see if he was okay, as he didn't have Craig's phone number to ask him.

Pip rushed down the stairs quickly once he was ready, but was stopped by his mother.

"Pip? Where are you going?" she asked.

"I'm going to go and see Tweek," he replied.

"Alright, be careful."

"I will be," said Pip as he reached for his coat. He pulled it on as he walked through the door, and made his way to the hospital. Luckily, the distance wasn't so far from Pip's house.

He soon arrived at the hospital, and managed to get to Tweek's room without any complications. He peered around the doorframe, and certainly didn't expect to see what he saw.

Tweek was sat up in the bed, very much alive. Not only was he alive, but he was wide awake. A smile was on his face as he laughed at something Craig said, who was sat on the bed with him. His smile didn't disappear when he looked at Pip.

"Oh, h-hey Pip," he said. Craig looked up as well, and even gave Pip a small smile of his own. For once, Pip could see joy in Craig's eyes.

"How are you awake already?" asked Pip, astonished.

"We don't know," said a nurse, who had just walked into the room. "We were certain that Tweek would pass away, but it seems as though a miracle has occurred."

"Don't do that to me again," Craig said, holding Tweek closer. "I don't know what I'd do if you were to die."

Tweek simply smiled.

"Where are your parents?" asked Pip with a quick glance around the room.

"T-They left a while ago," Tweek replied.

"Can't let the business down," Craig added, a slight frown on his face. Pip felt the same way – their son was more important than some coffee business.

"When is he allowed out of here?" Pip asked, looking at the nurse.

"We want to keep him a few days, because this has never happened before and we aren't sure if he will stay like this. But, his injuries have already almost healed. It has baffled us, it really has."

"My little miracle," said Craig, planting a kiss on Tweek's head. But, there was a slight knowing look in Craig's eyes. Was there more to this than simply Tweek healing quickly?

It was all so confusing.

* * *

I don't like how this one ended.

**BUT ANYWAY, PLEASE READ.**

Basically, I have a YouTube account named 'Skia Wolf', where I post animations to songs (check it out, maybe?). I was just wondering if you would be interested in me making one linked to this fanfiction? I would have just made it as a surprise and then gave you the link, but the thing is, the song I would use for it is a song I have been planning to use with my own characters. If people aren't too bothered, at least not many, then I will stick with what I originally planned to use the song for. If more than a couple of people are interested, then I will use the song for this fanfiction.

Please tell me if you want to see me make it, and don't forget to tell me your thoughts on the story!

Until next time!


	6. Chapter 6

I am sorry I was a little later than usual updating this story. I don't know why, because I was soon typing this out quickly, but I just went completely blank on how to start it. But, I did start my Easter break last Friday, and I don't go back until a week on Monday. Plenty of time for this! Aside from revision for my exams and my other hobbies, of course.

But thank you to those who have reviewed! I appreciate it a lot, and I am quite happy with having 25 reviews in five chapters. I am honestly proud of that!

By the way, I am definitely going to be making that animation to this story. I will probably be making it a few chapters before this finishes, so after I post the final chapter I will post that animation. I will make a little note on the end of the story with the link and such.

Anyway, I'm sure you've just been rolling your eyes at this and want to read the chapter! Well, enjoy!

* * *

Pip was a little surprised when Craig asked him if he wanted to hang around with him the next school day. Tweek had to remain in hospital, and Craig would have stayed with him, but he had been convinced to not miss school. Craig couldn't say no to Tweek.

"I said to Token and Clyde that I would stay with them," Craig had said. "But they shouldn't mind if you were there too. And if they do, then they'll just have to get over it."

Pip didn't question why Craig had asked him. Maybe they were... Friends?

He was extremely nervous when he walked out of his maths class with Craig on their break. Even though Craig had said that Token and Clyde shouldn't mind Pip being there, he had still never spoken to them before and the thought of randomly turning up with Craig terrified him completely. His social anxiety didn't help one bit.

Craig seemed to notice this as they walked down the corridor.

"It'll be fine, trust me. They're not like most of the guys here; they're nice," he said. Pip could only hope for the best.

Token and Clyde _did _look quite confused when Craig walked to them with Pip by his side, but when Craig said 'he's an alright guy', they soon began to get along. Pip had never felt like he had belonged so much.

He had always got the impression that Token and Clyde were kind, but he never expected them to be as nice as they were to him. They accepted having him in their group without even a hint of distaste, while other people most likely would hate to be seen with him. He had to admit that Clyde's regular mentions about Bebe _did _get annoying, but he was still a good person and Pip could look past this.

It was great to sit with them at lunch, also.

"So what made you move to America, Pip?" Token had suddenly asked when they were eating their lunch in the cafeteria.

"Yeah, I've always wondered that myself," said Clyde.

"Well, I grew up in an orphanage in England," said Pip. "After my parents adopted me, they decided to move to America to get away from my past there and everything. That is the whole story, really."

"I never knew you were once in an orphanage," said Clyde.

"Yeah, everyone knows you're adopted, but I guess we presumed you were just adopted from birth or something," added Token.

"What was it like being in an orphanage?" asked Craig.

Pip, quite obviously, shuddered.

"Dreadful, absolutely dreadful. A lot of things were horrible about it, but the other kids were the worst thing. Their favourite thing to do was to shove me into a closet and say they won't let me out until I admit that I'm bent. I suppose they predicted what I would come to realise about myself in the future, in a way."

That last part wasn't supposed to come out. But he felt so comfortable talking to the three boys, and he barely thought about what he was saying.

"That sounds awful... But what does bent mean?" asked Token.

"Oh, it's English slang for..." Pip paused. He surely was okay to admit this to them, wasn't he? "... For the word 'gay'."

"Ah, so you meant that you're gay?" Clyde questioned. Pip blushed slightly and nodded, slightly surprised that neither of them blinked or looked even remotely shocked.

"There's no need to be embarrassed about that," Token smiled.

"Yeah, we do have old Craig here, after all," Clyde laughed, punching Craig softly on the shoulder.

Did Clyde and Token know about Craig and Tweek? Unless they just guessed... Now that Pip knew about them, it did seem slightly obvious.

"Don't you start," Craig muttered, but he didn't seem too annoyed. "Anyway, I'm not gay, I'm pansexual."

"Pansexual? What the fuck is pansexual?"

Craig's eyes narrowed at the tall form of Trent Boyett standing behind him.

"What is it, are you too good for girls so you've got to resort to pans or something?"

The rest of the gang laughed loudly at Trent's idea of a 'joke'. Craig, who was known for having a very short temper, especially with Trent, definitely wasn't laughing.

"Actually, if you would have let me answer, you'd find that being pansexual is actually similar to being bisexual. Someone who is pansexual doesn't care about gender and can be attracted to anyone, not just male and female, but also those who are transgender. They care less about gender and more about personality. Except, you wouldn't know about caring more about personality, would you, Trent? Seems to me like as long as you're in a hot girl's pants, you're okay. Mock me all you want, but at least I have some fucking respect."

Trent was stunned for a moment, and was clearly struggling to think of a reply. He obviously couldn't think of one, because he soon changed the subject. Not surprisingly, he focus was now on Pip.

"Starting feeling sorry for him, did ya?" he laughed. "Just wait until word gets around that you're gay, Pip. People will start hating you more than they already do."

"Fuck off, Trent!" Craig growled.

"Oh, look at you! Sticking up for the little blonde fag because your own one has ended up in hospital. Not the right sort of one though, is it?"

_Smack._

Craig had got up out of his chair, and his fist collided with Trent's nose before he even had a chance to react. Just as the rest of Trent's gang were about to interfere, a teacher had come running along to them.

"CRAIG TUCKER! What have we told you about this?" the teacher shouted, blocking the way between the two tall boys.

"He deserved that," Craig hissed.

"Nonsense! Nobody deserves that!" By this point, the whole of the cafeteria were staring at the scene unfolding. The teacher pointed to one of Trent's friends. "You, take Trent to the nurse. And Craig, to the principal, NOW!"

"But..." Token started, but the teacher walked away with Craig, not bothering to listen to what he had to say. Trent sniggered and turned to Pip before he left.

"Just you wait."

* * *

Pip did not think he had ever felt such a strange feeling of happiness than that he felt when he saw the familiar fire in his bedroom. He had prayed last night, hoping that he would return to this place. He had even fallen asleep with his fingers crossed. Something was pulling him back here, even though this was only the third time of him being there.

"You really can't stay away from me, can you?"

Pip blushed and looked away from Damien sitting on the other side of the desk.

"I-I just..."

"Can't stay away from me," Damien chuckled.

"I still have so many unanswered questions," said Pip, avoiding Damien's statement. "I have no idea who you are, how you brought me here, where you're from..."

"The thing is, Pip, I'm worried I will scare you away if I tell you."

"But _why?"_

"Have you not thought about anything else? What I have said about your prayers, what happened with Craig and Tweek, _anything?"_

"Of course I have, I just don't understand any of this! I'm so confused..."

Damien sighed, and tilted his head at Pip.

"You seem like you want to know."

"Of course I want to know!"

"But it may not be the best idea."

"Can't you at least tell me _something?" _

There was a moment of pause before Damien spoke.

"I was involved with what happened with Craig and Tweek. That answers one of your questions."

"How were you involved? You weren't there."

"Was I not?"

Pip stared at him, puzzled.

"Huh?"

"What if I was there, when it happened?"

"I thought you couldn't enter my world, though..."

"I never said that."

"But if you can enter my world, why do you speak to me here?" Pip asked as he glanced around the room.

"I speak to you here because I save time by speaking to you while you are asleep, not to mention that I feel much more comfortable here than in your world."

"I still don't understand exactly _how _you are able to enter these different worlds. Do you live here, or in our world, as well?"

"To answer your first question, I simply have the power to. To answer your second question, neither."

"Where do you live, then?" asked Pip, astonished.

Damien sighed, and looked straight into Pip's eyes.

"Is it really not obvious?"

"No, it isn't," said Pip, looking away from Damien's crimson eyes.

"How do you think I can travel between worlds, do things no man can do, even possess a living person?"

"When did you say anything about possess?" Pip cried.

"I didn't. I implied it, though, when I said 'I was involved.'"

Pip stared at him in horror, his blue eyes wide.

"You possessed Craig?" Pip asked. "But why?"

"I was simply answering your prayer," said Damien. "You wanted him to be taught a lesson, didn't you? You wanted him to stop, and I did that for you."

"Yeah, but hurting Tweek? Isn't that a little extreme?"

"I didn't actually mean to hurt Tweek. I didn't have a clue that he would end up shoving me out of the way."

"But still, you didn't have to get him hit by a car to teach him a lesson! Gosh, that's just... That's just too far!"

"It worked though, didn't it?"

"You didn't have-"

"He's nice to you now, isn't he?"

"Yes, but-"

"I even made sure Tweek was fully better."

Pip tilted his head at Damien, a look of confusion on his face.

"How did you?"

"Well, the same way I can do everything else," Damien shrugged. "You know that I have powers. I can use them to heal too, you know."

"That's how he made a recovery so quickly?"

"Indeed it is. But, Craig better be careful with how he treats you from now on," Damien said, as he raised his hand. A red light formed in his hand, and then settled into a dark blue colour.

"What is that?" Pip asked, staring at the light.

"I didn't want you to find out," said Damien. "But my secrets are slowly spilling out, secrets I know I can't hide, and this is small compared to them. This light represents an agreement I have made with Craig, that agreement being that he will never treat you like he has previously. He does not know the consequences behind this, however."

"What are the consequences?"

"Shall I put it simply?"

"Please do."

"Anything I wish."

"That isn't simple to me. Can't you be more specific?"

"No, I cannot. I can quite literally do whatever I wish. You see, when Craig shook this hand of mine..." he paused to look at his hand, which he clenched to vanish the light. "... He allowed me to own part of his soul."

"Part... Part of his soul?" Pip said, horrified.

"It's not as bad as it sounds, trust me. If I owned it completely, it could be either a good thing or a bad thing. I could grant him immortality, which I have never done before. For some people that would be a good thing. However, I could also do whatever I want to them, whenever I want. But only owning a part of a soul isn't like that. It only connects to the agreement; if he breaks his end of the deal... Well, that's where I can literally do whatever I like. He can't do anything to stop that."

"T-This is making you sound like..."

"Sound like what?" asked Damien, his red eyes connecting with Pip's.

"Some sort of... _Devil, _or something..."

"You're getting closer, Pip," Damien chuckled.

"You _are _the Devil?"

"No, not quite."

"Then what on Earth are you?"

"Like I said, I am close. Listen, Pip... You know when I said that God has never listened to your prayers? It is with more people than you think. Most of the prayers that all of you humans pray are listened to in the place which is the opposite of what you expect. It's a specialty there for us to observe the words spoken, note your behaviour, and compare the wants and the wishes between all of you. Some are really quite pathetic in all honesty, perhaps even laughable."

Damien leaned forward in his seat, and Pip backed up in his.

"But not yours, Pip. You are... Different. Why else would someone like me help you? Your life has nothing to do with mine. I don't benefit from helping you whatsoever. A little blonde teenager, a Catholic living with his adoptive parents, who has to hide his sexuality from them because he is scared of what they would do. Even though your God is supposed to forgive you for your sins and love you no matter what you are, you're still scared of rejection... You're scared of being disowned; scared of burning in Hell for all of eternity because of something you can't even decide for yourself. So why you? Out of all the people I could have chosen to help, something which I have never done in my life, I choose you? I barely understand it myself. Why would a person like me, help someone like you?"

Damien closed his eyes for a couple of moments, before straightening himself in his seat and opening them to look at Pip once more.

"I am not even a person, Pip. I'm not human. I'm the Antichrist... The son of Satan himself."

A stunned silence fell on the room. Neither of them moved, or even broke eye contact as the moments went by. That was until Pip came to realise what he had just been told. His eyes widened even further, and his body was visibly trembling. He slowly slid out of his chair, his eyes fixed on Damien.

"No... This can't be true... Tell me it's not true!"

The man who he had begun wanting to see in his dreams was something far from what he wanted him to be. His questions had been answered... But now that they had been, was it really the best idea to be told them.

"I'm not the kind to lie."

"Y-You... Stay away from me! Just get out of my dreams, and let me deal with my problems on my own!"

"Pip, I-" Damien began as he slid out of his chair, though he was interrupted by Pip who was backing away from him.

"NO! Let me wake up, Damien! I can't... I can't..."

"Pip, listen to what-"

"You listen to me, Damien, if that's even your name! I can't have anything to do with you... It goes against everything I have believed in! Just leave me be, and go back to torturing souls or whatever you..."

Pip stopped speaking when Damien had dropped down to one knee in front of him. The Antichrist gently took Pip's shaking hand into his own, and placed his pale lips on the skin.

A gasp escaped Pip's lips as he felt the warm sensation on his hand. The man who looked so cold felt so... Warm. The blush on his cheeks deepened to a colour almost as red as Damien's eyes.

The man let go of Pip's hand and slowly got back to his feet. Pip had forgotten all of the words he was going to stay, and the only thing he did was look up when Damien had stepped closer to him.

"Yes, my name is Damien Thorn, and I _am_ the Antichrist. Yes, I agree, it goes against every teaching in your faith," Damien said in a voice barely louder than a whisper. "But is it really so hard to believe that I actually want to help you?"

Another silence fell on the room before Pip managed to speak.

"I... I suppose not."

"So can I continue to help you?"

Pip nodded slowly, though worry was clearly shown in his eyes.

"Just please... Don't hurt anyone else. Please."

"Not even Trent Boyett?"

"He's awful, I know... But I don't want anyone else getting hurt."

"If I hurt other people, does that hurt you?"

Pip nodded again.

"Then I won't."

The room was silent once more before Pip started to hear a voice, which was quickly getting louder.

"Stay safe, Pip. I will try to see you again soon."

"Damien, wait-"

He had no time to finish his sentence before the room vanished away.

* * *

I seriously _loved _writing this little meeting of theirs. So, the truth is out!

Thanks again for sticking with this story. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I'll try to get the next one to you sooner! Thanks for reading!


	7. Chapter 7

Hey guys! I'm sorry for taking a while to update this. I've been busy with revision and such and I've got fourteen exams coming up. They start on the 12th May, and I will be spending time with them more so I can't promise that the next update will be much quicker. I will be continuing with this, however, and I will still be making the animation linked to this.

**Please remember **that I am **not **American and I am in fact British. I do worry a lot while I'm writing this if I'm speaking correctly or not xD Words like 'colour' instead of 'color' are okay, but I often wonder if I'm making the dialogue correct or not. Please try to overlook any British ways of speaking, unless it's Pip or his parents speaking, of course.

Anyway, please enjoy the chapter!

* * *

"Philip, come on, wake up!"

Pip groaned as he opened his eyes. He immediately shut them from the bright sunlight entering his room. Why did his mother have to open the curtains so early?

"Just give me a few more minutes..."

"If I give you a few more minutes, you're going to be late! Come on, stop being so lazy and get out of bed!"

"But mum..."

"What's the matter, Pip? Don't you feel well?" his mother said in a panicked voice, and she pressed the back of her hand against his forehead. "You do feel a little warm..."

"Um, yeah..." Pip hesitated. "I haven't been feeling too good since last night."

"Oh, dear!" his mother cried. "Do you have a headache? Do you feel sick? Maybe I should call a doctor..."

"No, mum, I'm not that bad. I just need some rest. Can I stay off school today?"

"Well, you haven't had any time off in years... Alright, Philip, you can stay off today. But make sure you get yourself better!"

"I will do. Can I go back to sleep now?"

"Of course, darling," said his mother, and she pressed a kiss to his forehead before leaving the room.

Pip shuffled in his bed, thinking about what he just said. He had never lied to stay off school before, not in a very long time, at least. But he feared facing school that day. Of course it was much more enjoyable being with Craig, Clyde and Token, but Pip was scared about what Trent was going to say to everyone. The news that he was gay was probably over halfway across the school already, and it scared him. Not so much people there knowing, with the exception of Cartman, of course, but more over the fact that his parents might find out. They were the reason why Pip was Catholic, and he knew how homosexuality was a thing that was often opposed by Catholics.

But, now that Trent knew, it would only take one day for the news to spread.

Thinking about Trent shifted his thoughts to his recent visit from Damien. His questions had been answered, and not knowing those answers was constantly on his mind, and yet they weren't what he expected. He just didn't expect a man who was actually trying to help him to be the son of Satan himself. It sounded absolutely ridiculous, but with everything else Damien had proved he could do made his story believable.

Surely, the fact that Damien was the Antichrist should scare Pip away? Surely, with what Damien was capable of and the fact that he could even own souls should scare Pip away even more? Pip had definitely felt fear when Damien had confessed who he was to him... And yet, he was still drawn to him. Pip still wanted to see Damien, he still wanted his help, and he actually feared the thought of never seeing Damien again more than who he was. But why was this?

A blush formed on his face when he thought about the kiss Damien had planted on his hand. It was only a small, simple motion to calm Pip down, and yet it made his heart pound in his chest. It had just felt... So beautiful. The way Damien treated him so gently, and how he brushed his lips softly against Pip's skin was something he thought he would never experience by him, or _anyone _for that matter. He thought that no one could ever show him affection, the unpopular, British and weak boy.

His blush deepened, and he hugged his pillow close to his chest. He almost laughed act how he was reacting; this was how teenage girls acted about their crush asking them to go on a date, and how fan girls acted when they thought about some attractive actor they liked or thought about their favourite couple in a fandom acting cute together. This was _not _how a teenage boy should act... _Especially _when that teenage boy is acting like that because the _Antichrist _kissed his hand.

He was definitely going to Hell for this... Though maybe it wouldn't be that bad with Damien.

Pip groaned and buried his head in his pillow. Where did _that _come from? All Damien did was kiss his hand. That is all. Nothing more would happen; he only did it because Pip panicked about Damien being the son of Satan, of all people. That is all. Nothing more, nothing less.

But why Pip? Out of all the people Damien could have chosen to help, why on Earth did he choose _Pip?_

Damien said he barely knew himself. How could he not know? How could he not understand why he decided to help make Pip's life better? Pip highly doubted that he just woke up one morning and thought 'Oh, I feel like helping that little British kid whose life is a total mess!'. So there _had _to be some sort of reason... Did Damien not want Pip to know?

As crazy as it sounds, Pip didn't think that it was a bad reason. Yes, Damien was the son of Satan. Yes, he owned part of Craig's soul without him even knowing about it. Despite that, Pip _still _trusted Damien. He didn't even feel scared of him properly anymore.

If he told anyone about this, they'd probably convinced that he was absolutely insane. Except from Craig, that is.

Of course... _Craig. _Could he talk about this to him? He probably wouldn't even be able to help him, but maybe it would just be nice to talk to someone about Damien, rather than just thinking everything to himself? He was getting along with Craig so well now, and he was sure Craig wouldn't mind talking to him about it.

He jumped suddenly when his phone loudly vibrated on his bedside table. He reached over to pick it up, seeing that he had a message from Craig himself. Pip had almost forgotten that they had exchanged numbers the previous day.

_Where are you, Pip? Lesson starts in ten minutes._

It was still a strange feeling that Craig was actually being _friendly _to him. It seemed as though as Damien had certainly changed him.

_I'm sorry; I forgot to message you saying I'm off school today._

Hopefully he wouldn't ask why...

_Oh, how come? You alright?_

Oh, damn. He didn't want to lie to someone he only just became friends with.

_Well... I didn't really feel like coming in today, to be honest._

That wasn't purely a lie.

_It's because of Trent, isn't it?_

There is no fooling Craig Tucker, it seemed. Pip forgot that the guy was pretty intelligent.

_Yes..._

_I thought so. If that guy even says a word about you today, I don't care that you won't be there; I'm not letting him get away with it. I had enough shit from him with Tweek and I'm not letting him start again with you. _

Pip smiled slightly. It was nice knowing that Craig cared about him.

_Thank you, I appreciate it. Don't get yourself into any fights or anything, though._

_Don't worry about it. I've gotta go – Class is starting and I'm in enough shit with the teachers here without getting caught on my phone._

_Alright, see you._

Pip knew Craig was in trouble with the teachers already, mainly for conflict with Trent and Cartman, but it didn't worry him until now. What if he ended up in a fight with Trent which got him into even more trouble, perhaps to the point of getting kicked out of the school? Pip didn't want Craig ending up in that situation because of something which wasn't even to do with him. He just had to hope that Craig didn't do anything too serious, because he was highly certain that Trent would _definitely _be saying something about Pip's sexuality today.

He wasn't looking forward to what Cartman would say about it, either.

Cartman was _constantly_ calling Stan and Kyle 'fags'. It had been going on since elementary school, because Stan and Kyle had been best friends for years and were amazingly close. But since Stan permanently broke up with Wendy when they were thirteen, much to her dismay, neither Stan nor Kyle had been with someone. In fact, Kyle had never had a _proper_ girlfriend, only a crush on a girl named Nicole, who soon became Token's girlfriend for years to come. Because of this, Cartman had spread around that Stan and Kyle were secretly together, and people started to believe it. Normally, Kyle only got angry when it came to Cartman, but the constant stares and the whispers behind their backs made him extremely upset. If Stan and Kenny hadn't been there for him, he probably wouldn't have got through it. People soon became bored of the situation, and stopped caring about it. Pip still didn't know whether Kyle and Stan were actually _ever _in a relationship, or still were; he didn't really mind either way. But it was just proof of how easily Cartman can take something and make it spread like wildfire. Goodness knows why they still were in his group.

If he could do that to Stan and Kyle, who didn't even say themselves that they weren't straight, what would he do when he heard about Pip being gay? He couldn't decide which was worse; Trent Boyett or Eric Cartman knowing he was gay. It wouldn't have been as bad if he was popular, but he wasn't.

He sighed and fell back into his pillow. He just had to hope everything would turn out okay.

* * *

There was a strange tension at the dinner table that evening. His parents gave Pip their usual smiles when he sat down beside them, but something wasn't right. They were staying silent, and they kept exchanging looks between each other. It was as though they wanted to say something, but they didn't know how to say it.

"What's the matter?" Pip asked eventually, once the tension was just too thick.

"Nothing, dear," his mother replied, but Pip knew immediately she wasn't telling the truth.

"I know there is something you want to say. What is it?"

"Well, the thing is, Philip..." his father's words trailed off.

"The thing is that we've received some information that was rather... Interesting," his mother said. Pip frowned, confused.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, we got a call from your school today," his mother explained. "It was your principal. She informed me that they're considering expelling your friend, Craig."

"What? But why?" Pip asked. "And why would they tell you that?"

"Craig got into a fight with that boy, Trent Boyett. She told me that Craig has gotten into a lot of fights in that school and this was supposed to be his last warning. But the only reason that they're not making the decision right away is because he told them that the only reason he fought with Trent was because he was defending you. Apparently Trent overheard you admitting that you are... Gay, and has been saying awful things about it."

Pip froze. There was no way at all that his parents would accept him.

"I-I... Well..."

"So is this true? Are you... Gay?"

"I-I'm..." Pip hesitated. He couldn't lie about this. He just had to say the truth. "Y-Yes, I am."

"Since when?" his father said.

"I don't know," said Pip. "It's not like I chose to be gay..."

"We know that, darling," his mother said. "We understand."

"What?" Pip said, astonished. "You do?"

"Of course we do, Philip," she smiled. "Yes, a lot of Catholics are against homosexuality. But we're not like that. Happiness is one of the most important things in life, and if someone cannot be accepted for who they are, how can they be happy? We care about you a lot, Philip, and this doesn't change anything."

"She's right, Philip," his father said. "We love you."

"Thank you so much."

"But what concerns me more is that this Trent Boyett is still causing you trouble," his mother said. "I thought this had all been solved?"

"It's fine, mother," said Pip. "I know it's going to be sorted soon."

He wasn't even just saying that to please her - he had a feeling that someone aside from Craig was out there to stop him.

"Are you sure?"

"I'm positive."

She smiled and nodded. The three of them continued to eat their food before his mother spoke again.

"So, do you have your eye set on anyone?" she asked with a wink, and Pip almost choked on his food.

"W-Well..."

The only possibly person that he could say to this was Damien. Though it was only a crush, nothing more. It was only because Damien was extremely attractive... And he seemed to care about Pip...

But even if it _was _something more, Pip couldn't just exactly say that the person he was attracted to happened to be the son of Satan who he met in his dreams. His parents might support homosexuality, but they wouldn't exactly support their son being attracted to the one person that he definitely shouldn't have an interest for. If they were to believe him, that is.

"You have gone all red! Who is it?"

"I-It's no one!" Pip stammered. "I'm only red because you asked me about it, that's all."

"Alright, Philip," she said, but it was clear from the grin on her face that she didn't believe him.

At least they were accepting of him. But, he still had the problem of having a crush on Damien.

It just had to be Pip's luck that he would end up being attracted to the Antichrist, of all people.

* * *

"I'm gonna get heading back," said Trent Boyett to his gang that evening.

"You sure, mate?" one of them asked.

"Yeah, it's only ten."

"Nah, it's fine. That bitchy old woman next door to me is only gonna start complaining when I get back late. I don't want another lecture about me being too young to live on my own."

The rest of the teenagers laughed.

"We'll see ya tomorrow, then."

After only a few minutes of walking, Trent had made it to his flat. He fished out his key from the pocket of his jacket, and unlocked the door. He entered the room, closed the door, and turned on the light. Before he had the chance to do anything else, however, he was suddenly pushed into the wall. It was his pure instinct to grab his penknife from his pocket, and stab whoever this man was in the side. _No one _broke into Trent's flat and got away with it.

However, the wound he had just inflicted healed on its own. Trent gasped, and stared up at the man's face.

"What the hell?"

"Sorry, Boyett, but that isn't going to work."

"Who the hell are you? Why are you in here?"

"For reasons you might not expect."

"Oh yeah, like fucking trying to steal from this place?" Trent said, and pushed the man away from him. He aimed a punch right to the man's face, but his fist was caught in the man's hand. With an unnatural force, Trent was thrown to the ground.

"There's no need for that."

"Just get the fuck out of here!" Trent growled, getting to his feet. "There ain't anything to steal here!"

"I'm not here to steal."

"Then what are you here for?" Trent asked. He visibly shuddered when he looked into the man's eyes for the first time. "And those contacts are fucking creepy."

"Oh yes, contacts..." the man chuckled. "And I'm here because of how much of a bastard you are, putting it simply. Though this isn't my usual style, I must admit. It feels pretty strange."

"Usual style? Oh, so breaking into people's places to give them life lessons isn't what you normally do?"

"In all honesty, I don't usually give life lessons. In fact, I'm not normally focused on life."

"You are crazy."

"Oh, I'm crazy?" the man asked. "You are the one calling me crazy? What about the one standing here, who spends most of his time seeking revenge on people and making other people's lives hell because he can barely stand his own? The one who steals, threatens people's lives, the one who has got a love for violence?"

"Shut the fuck up," Trent growled. "You know nothing about me."

"Oh, but I do," the man said simply. "I probably know you more than you know yourself."

"How would you? You're just some guy who attacked me as soon as I walked into my own home!" Trent exclaimed.

"I'm not 'just some guy'. And if I really bother you that much, why don't you try to get me out of here again?"

Trent didn't move, and the man laughed.

"I suppose you're too scared."

Trent obviously didn't appreciate that comment, as he lunged straight at the man. However, he easily moved out of the way and grabbed Trent's neck, hard enough to cause pain but not to kill him.

"I suggest that you listen to what I have to say," the man said in a menacing low tone. "Because I am here to sort out something which means a lot and I want it to get through to you without having to hurt you immensely. Understood?"

Trent nodded, and gasped for air when the man released his grip.

"Right, now that I have your attention, I can talk," said the man. "I'm here to talk about Pip Pirrup."

"Pip? Why that little fag?"

"Don't you dare call him that," Damien growled, and Trent gulped. "The way you treat him sickens me. You're just as bad as that Cartman. You bully him and you treat him like he's some dirt at the bottom of your shoe."

"But..."

"But what? Pip is a human being, you do realise? How would you like it, if you feared going to school every day because you are scared that someone is going to make your life hell? You bully him because he is an easy target, and you spread the news about his sexuality at school today, for what? Why do you? It doesn't make you a better person. It doesn't solve anyone's problems, it only creates new ones."

"I... I..."

"You don't know what to say to that, do you? At the end of the day, deep down, does treating Pip like you do really make yourself feel better? I know that life's been tough for you. You've spent most of your life locked away, and your own parents both died before you even had a chance to remember them. But the thing is, ruining other people's lives isn't going to solve anything. You convincing your group of friends that what you do is funny isn't going to solve anything. Pip has gone through hard times too, and you're only making it worse. I've come to you because I care about Pip. I want him to be happy, and I'm doing what I can to make that possible. But you need to stop."

"I... I know."

"You honestly do?"

"... Yeah."

"Take my hand."

"What?"

"I need to know that you mean it," the man reached out his hand. "I need your word that you will treat Pip differently from now on. And if you don't, there will be dire consequences. Shake my hand."

Trent hesitated, before taking the man's hand. He gasped when a ring of what seemed to be fire danced around their hands before disappearing.

"What the hell was that?"

"Remember, Trent," said the man, ignoring Trent's exclamation. "If you don't start treating Pip as a normal human being, I will be back. And that time, I won't hold back on hurting you."

As soon as the man finished his words, there was a flash of fire around him, and he vanished.

* * *

I'm sorry if this chapter seems rushed or anything. Like I previously said, I've been busy.

So do you think Trent will keep to his word?

Anyway, I'm going to finish and save this now so I can finally get it uploaded. I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and feel free to review!


	8. Chapter 8

So I'm actually pretty pleased with how quickly I updated this, with my exams starting and also having a YouTube channel and such.

**Please check out my channel on YouTube, Skia Wolf!**

That is where I will be posting the animation to this story on. I am making slow progress with it, but I will speed up when I start writing the last two chapters. Plus I haven't been working on it a huge lot due to me working to my regular music videos, so I'm sure I'll end up doing a lot more on it when I actually spend more time into it.

Anyway, I'm sorry, but this chapter is a bit shorter than usual. But I hope you enjoy it anyway!

* * *

Even though it had been a very short time since the accident with Tweek, he had returned to school the following day. The doctors were baffled, and had no idea how he had recovered so fast and so well from what had first been fatal injuries. Tweek was himself, being as only Pip and Craig were the ones who understood how Tweek had recovered so quickly. It had been planned for him to stay a little longer, but they soon came to realise that Tweek was in fact fully healed, somehow, and there was actually no reason to keep him in hospital.

It quickly became popular news in South Park at what people were calling a 'miracle'. During school that day, a lot of people were staring at him in shock, and a lot of whispers were exchanged in between people as they walked down the corridors. Even though it wasn't negative attention, it still made Tweek incredibly nervous, and he stuck close to Craig the whole time that they were walking. Of course, he didn't mind.

It was just so strange how Damien, who was supposed to be so evil, could do something so good. Sure, it was his fault Tweek had gotten hurt in the first place... But he fixed it soon after.

Speaking of fixing, did Damien do anything to Trent? It seemed as though he was going through all of the people who were troubling Pip, and he must have been his next target. Something strange happened with Trent, and it was what was making Pip question whether Damien was at it again or not.

Pip was walking down the corridor with Craig, Tweek, Token and Clyde, and they had come across Trent and his gang. Craig, in his natural way of protecting victims of Trent, walked in front of the others, his eyes fixed on Trent with the expectation that he would say something. He did speak, but it wasn't what anyone was expecting, not even his friends.

"Look, the little fag is in school today, as well as that mental twitchy one!" one of his friends yelled. But, instead of joining in or even smirking, Trent grabbed his friend's arm and gestured for them to go.

"Come on, let's just leave it," he said, glancing at them with... _Fear?_

"What?"

"Come _on," _he repeated, and the friends shrugged and followed their leader.

The weird thing was, the slight fear in Trent's eyes couldn't have been because he was in a fight with Craig the previous day. Trent _loved _fighting with people, normally. It seemed as though his gaze was more focused on Pip himself, and the only reason why he would look at Pip like that... Would be because of _Damien._

Luckily, if Trent had been seriously hurt, he wouldn't have been in school, so it was clear that Damien had listened to Pip's pleads of Damien _not _to hurt anyone in order to help him.

Sure, he _hated _Trent, Cartman even more so, but he didn't wish pain on anyone.

On the subject of Cartman, he, of course, seemed to find it hilarious about Pip. Even though Pip had been avoiding Cartman to the best of his ability, he couldn't avoid his laughs and shouts when he was at his locker.

"So, Pippy... Glad to have come out the closet?" Cartman had laughed, and leant by Pip's locker.

"Fuck off, fatass," Craig said from the other side of Pip, glaring at Cartman, who just ignored him.

"We all knew you were a fag though, Pip. I mean..." he laughed before continuing. "You just scream flaming homosexual."

"And you just scream pathetic excuse for a human being," said Craig.

"Aw, that's a bit harsh, don't you think?" Cartman smirked, his attention now fixed on the tall boy.

"Not for you, it isn't."

"Oh, I'm so hurt," Cartman said, who was now standing right in front of Craig.

"You will be in a minute," Craig threatened, taking a step closer to Cartman, but Token had quickly stood in between them.

"Guys, that's enough," he said. Cartman shrugged, and stepped away, most likely due to his realisation that he was heavily outnumbered.

"Whatever, fags. I don't have time for this shit anyway," he said, before flipping the five of them off. Craig returned the gesture before he had walked away.

"Don't listen to that bastard," said Craig, turning to Pip. "He's just a guy who finds his joy in hurting other people because he doesn't have the mind to face his problems."

When Craig put Cartman's behaviour in that way, it actually made a lot of sense. Pip knew that Cartman had issues, but he didn't know how bad they were or anything of that sort. Perhaps Cartman wasn't as strong as he made out to be.

However, that it isn't an excuse. Perhaps Damien will have his own word with Cartman.

_Damien again... _Honestly, the amount of times Pip had thought about him in that day. In almost every lesson, he would somehow find a way to start daydreaming about Damien. He felt like some girl daydreaming about some attractive boy in her class.

Well, Pip may not have been a girl, but Damien sure was attractive.

Forgetting Damien's attractiveness, he _still _had to talk to Craig about him. He did not get the chance in school, because they were always with Tweek, Token and Clyde and it would have seemed strange for Pip to take Craig to one side. He decided to call him later on that day.

* * *

"_Hi, Pip. What's up?"_

"You're not with Tweek or anything, are you?"

Pip couldn't have him listening to their conversation. How would Craig be able to explain everything to him?

"_No, I'm not. I'm seeing him in about half an hour, though. Why?"_

"Well, because..." Pip took a deep breath. "I want to talk about Damien."

There was a long pause.

"_As in... Damien Thorn?"_

"Yeah... That's him."

"_So that... That wasn't a dream?"_

"Huh?"

"_That Damien guy, I saw him while I was asleep. I made some sort of deal with him for me to not to act like I was to you anymore. I thought I was mad and everything. He said he knew you and he said he'd heal Tweek but... I just thought I was crazy. But if you're talking about him now then..."_

He chuckled slightly, but it was humourless.

"No, he's... He's real."

"_So who is he, exactly?"_

Pip hesitated. He was going to tell Craig all about Damien, but... Was it the right thing to do?

"I... I don't really know."

"_Ah."_

"But, I..." Pip hesitated again. "I... I think I might have a crush on him."

There was another pause.

"_You have a... Crush on him? You said he was real and everything but... Really?"_

Pip almost groaned. It did sound extremely crazy.

"I know it sounds really weird and everything..."

"_I guess very tall, gothic guys with naturally red eyes are your thing, huh?"_

Pip laughed; relieved that Craig didn't seem to think he was utterly crazy.

"I don't know, it's just... He's helping me and everything and it's just..."

"_Crazy?" _Craig suggested.

"Yeah, exactly. I just wanted to talk about it with you because, well..."

"_Because I'm the only one who knows about him?"_

"Yeah... Anyway, sorry if I bothered you. I better hang up now."

"_Nah, it's fine. And it's only a crush like you said, right? There's no need to worry about it or anything."_

"That's true... Well, see you tomorrow, Craig."

"_See you, Pip."_

Pip sighed, placed his phone on his bedside table, and fell back onto his bed. That didn't really give him any help. But he can't just tell someone about what Damien truly is... There's invading someone's privacy, and then there's _that. _

* * *

"It's good to see you again, Pip."

Pip opened his eyes, and he couldn't stop the smile from breaking out on his face when he saw the familiar fire in his room. Damien, sat at the desk in the room, returned the smile with a small one of his own.

"Are you the reason that Trent was acting differently today?" Pip asked as he sat down in the chair opposite Damien's.

"I shall let you figure that one out on your own," Damien smirked.

Pip blushed slightly.

"But... I don't know..."

"Don't know what?" Damien questioned with a slight tilt of his head.

"Why you have been doing this."

Damien sighed, and leant back in his chair.

"I'm sure you said this last time we met. My answer is the same; I am not fully certain myself."

"I... I don't believe that," said Pip. "I just can't seem to believe that you've gone all through this trouble, for nothing. Even if you don't understand the whole thing yourself, there _has _to be a reason why you're doing this."

Damien was silent for a moment, before he smiled and leant forward.

"I knew that you were smart enough to work that much out," he said. "I am surprised that you had the courage to say that to me, though. I can't imagine a lot of people saying that to the Antichrist that he is lying to them."

"I think you already know that I am not like other people, Damien," said Pip. He could hardly believe how he was acting. Where did this confidence come from?

"I know that very well," Damien chuckled.

"So... Why?"

"I've taken an interest in you," said Damien.

"I can't help but feel like there is more to it than that."

"Of course there is, and you want me to elaborate, don't you?"

"Yes... I do," Pip nodded.

"If that is what you want... Then I shall."

Damien sat up straighter, and looked into Pip's eyes.

"It is true that I have had an interest in you. That isn't a lie, and that's what started all of this. I've been looking over you for a long time, even when you lived in England. It may sound crazy, but something from you was just pulling me in. You are different than all these other people living in your world. Sure, everyone has their own personalities and their own DNA, but you... There was always just _something _about you. I never intervened when you were younger, not once. I suppose that you have already guessed that helping others isn't exactly a popular thing to do when you are in Hell, and that's why I didn't. I observed what was happening, all those times with those awful people in the orphanage, but never stepped in. Why would I? I am nothing but pure evil. My father is Satan himself and I am supposed to rule over the whole of Hell once it is my turn. It is a ridiculous thought, that the Antichrist would just help someone like that. So I didn't."

Damien paused for a second, before continuing.

"I didn't stay in that way for long. At that time, I didn't see you more than just simply an interest, someone to observe over. I never quite got the enjoyment of your suffering as I have with those of others' before, but I didn't question it. I merely shrugged it off, blaming it on the fact that I was more interested in you than any other human. But once you had moved to America and started high school, I didn't just find your suffering unenjoyable... It actually _angered _me. I know the right sort of behaviour and the wrong sort of behaviour, but it had never bothered me until this point. In fact, the only thing I _did _tend to care about with wrong behaviour was the higher number of people taking up Hell, just like my father dislikes, to a point. But _never _did it make me feel anger. So why would it with you? I'm still not fully certain of that on this day. After a while, that anger started to make me want to do something to help you. I had no idea why, but I did anyway. After seeing Cartman punch you in the street like that, I knew I had to speak to you for the first time."

"When you say you've been 'observing' me..." Pip started. "Do you mean from Hell?"

He had a lot more to say about what Damien had just told him, but somehow the words didn't come to him.

"Yes, partly," said Damien. "But also in your world."

"You've been near me before?"

"Yes, I have. I was just around the corner when Cartman pushed you over in the corridor that day, as well the next day, where he punched you in the street. Those are two examples."

It was a little hard for it to sink in that Damien had been so close to him before, and not just while he was dreaming.

"Why did I never see you?"

"Honestly Pip, I think you can believe that I am good at staying hidden," Damien chuckled.

"Well, yes..." said Pip. "It's just weird to think that..."

"That I have been near you and you haven't even noticed?"

Pip nodded.

"I suppose that must feel weird for you."

"So you began to help me because what was happening to me angered you?" Pip asked.

"Yes, that's right," Damien nodded. "And that's why I began to stop those who were causing you suffering, one by one. I could have done it a lot quicker, but I get overrun sometimes back home. I can't always leave there."

"I don't think I ever had the chance to thank you properly," said Pip in a quiet voice. "So thank you. I was scared about what you were doing when Tweek ended up getting hurt. But I do appreciate it greatly. I actually have _friends _now and... It just feels wonderful."

"I'm glad," Damien said, smiling slightly. "There's one more person I have to sort out for you, however."

"You don't have to if you don't want to..." Pip said. "It's just how he copes with his problems. He never does much when I'm with Craig and the others, either."

"But when will you learn that I want to?" Damien chuckled, and a small blush formed on Pip's face. "I know that is how he deals with what's in his head, but like Craig, and even like Trent, he needs to learn it's wrong."

"I understand that," Pip said softly.

"So do not worry about it being a problem for me," Damien said. "I know that is what you believe, but I assure you, it's not. I know that I said I can be busy at times, but I've always had a busy schedule. It doesn't bother me."

"I just sometimes feel like that it is too much for you at times to help me like you do..."

"No, not at all. Like I said before, I like helping you."

"Alright, I believe you," Pip smiled.

"It's too bad that the time here goes a lot faster than your normal time..." Damien said, peering around the room. "We don't get a huge time to talk most of the time, do we?"

"Why, what is it?"

"I think you've learnt this by now," Damien chuckled. "You're about to start waking up."

"Oh, no..." Pip sighed. "Can I ask one more question before I do?"

"If you ask it quickly, then yes."

"Did you happen to hear..." Pip paused. "The phone call I had with Craig?"

"Yes, I did," said Damien. "Until the next time I see you, Pip."

And then, to Pip's protests, the room vanished.

* * *

Perhaps a couple more people could review this time? Working on this can be hard with my medical problems and shit loads of revision and such and it would be appreciated.

As usual, thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!


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